The Buffalo Bills are still a problem

BOSTON -- So, about last night ... the Buffalo Bills might be a problem, huh?

On a night that was supposed to be focused on a celebration of the Rams delivering a Lombardi Trophy to Los Angeles, the Bills used the stage as an opportunity to announce to the football world that not only are they back, but they might be a whole lot better.

For the remaining 13 opponents on their schedule -- including, of course, the New England Patriots on two occasions -- that's a bit of a frightening proposition.

The Patriots, though, can take solace in the fact that they're hardly the only team that can't force Josh Allen's offense to punt the football in entire football games. The Rams can now join that party, after the Bills went 9-for-10 on third downs en route to a 31-10 win in L.A. on Thursday night. The Bills didn't punt at all in Foxboro last December, they didn't punt a single time in their playoff meeting with the Pats in Buffalo, and they also didn't punt once in a Week 17 win against Atlanta. So while it may not be exceptional from a New England standpoint to account for half of those games, at least the Patriots know that they're not alone.

There's not much consolation in that, though, as it comes with the knowledge that for as long as Josh Allen remains healthy, the Buffalo Bills are going to be a handful in the division and beyond.

Of course, that opening night victory wasn't flawless. Josh Allen threw two interceptions (only one of which was his fault), while Zack Moss and James Cook each lost a fumble. The list of teams to win a road game with four turnovers has to be pretty short. The list of teams to commit four turnovers in a road game and win by 21 points has to be even shorter.

Yet while most of the football universe anticipated an MVP-caliber season from Josh Allen this year, it was the Bills' pass rush that might have been the most imposing part of Buffalo's game. Matthew Stafford was sacked seven times and hit eight more times. He threw three interceptions, and the Rams' offense couldn't function. That ability to get to the quarterback didn't prevent the Bills' defense from remaining principled against the run, either, with the Rams averaging under three yards per carry while compiling just 52 yards on the ground all night. Of the 52 yards, 18 came on one single run in the second quarter.

And if the Bills enjoyed the spotlight of Thursday night, they won't have to wait very long to show off on the national stage again. They'll kick off their home schedule with a Monday night meeting with the Titans next week.

Obviously, the Bills have some massive, massive expectations to fulfill this year. They're atop just about every power rankings list in the world, and they're the betting favorites to win the Super Bowl. For a franchise that hasn't exactly been known for delivering joy and happiness to fans of the greater Buffalo areas, that's a hefty weight to bear for this group of players and coaches. Whether they can actually meet that extremely high bar will be fascinating to see.

But for now? Woof. The Bills showed that instead of buying into their own summertime hype, they're capable of being better than they were last season.