NFL Football Betting: Buffalo Bills at Los Angeles Rams

With the Toronto Blue Jays idle on Saturday as they take a 2-0 lead back to the Rogers Centre for Game 3 of their AL Divisional Series against Texas we can turn our attention to NFL football. ‘Canada’s NFL team’ aka the Buffalo Bills will play on the road this week making the long trip cross country to take on the Los Angeles Rams. The Bills have won two straight after losing their first two games of the season. The Rams are one of the most improbable stories of the NFL season. They were expected to struggle after moving back to Los Angeles from St. Louis. Instead, they’ve gone 3-1 to open the season and are tied for first place in the NFC West with the Seattle Seahawks. As it stands, they also have the tiebreaker over Seattle by virtue of their Week 2 win over the Seahawks.

It’s easy to interpret Buffalo’s two game winning streak as a ‘buy’ sign. We’re not so sure. They were a desperate team when they beat Arizona at home but the Cardinals and particularly quarterback Carson Palmer were uncharacteristically sloppy turning the ball over 5 times including 4 interceptions. They then beat New England playing with their third string quarterback and perhaps ‘looking ahead’ too much to Tom Brady’s return. There are some analysts that are really excited about Tyrod Taylor’s recent performances and while we don’t dislike the guy we’re not ready to proclaim him a Pro Bowler at this juncture. The Bills aren’t a tough offense to figure out and are less complex with playmaking receiver Sammy Watkins sidelined. If a defense can contain the rushing attack of LeSean McCoy and keep QB Taylor in the pocket they’ve gone a long way toward neutralizing the Bills’ offense.

This is a long trip for Buffalo. There were many handicappers that pointed out the travel difficulty when recommended Buffalo over Arizona. Now the Bills face an even longer trip–they haven’t played in California since 2012. There’s a misconception that ‘jet lag’ only works going West to East. That’s not the case–no matter which direction you go in the biological clock is ‘off’. The Rams’ defense is legit and sure don’t want any part of Rex Ryan as a road favorite.

BET LOS ANGELES RAMS +1 OVER BUFFALO BILLS