2022 NFL Kickoff Game odds, spread, line: Rams vs. Bills picks, NFL predictions from L.A. expert on 44-33 roll

The Buffalo Bills, still in search of their first Super Bowl victory in franchise history, will begin their annual quest toward that elusive title on Thursday in the 2022 NFL Kickoff Game. Buffalo will visit the defending champion Los Angeles Rams at SoFi Stadium. The Bills reached four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s, but failed to win any of them, but they enter this season as the 2023 Super Bowl favorites. Their first step comes against a Rams team that needs to be careful to avoid a letdown following its second Super Bowl victory in franchise history. The Rams beat the Bengals 23-20 in Super Bowl 56 in February, also at SoFi.

Kickoff is at 8:20 p.m. ET. The Bills are 2.5-point favorites and the over-under for total points scored is 53 in the latest Bills vs. Rams odds from Caesars Sportsbook. Before locking any Rams vs. Bills picks, make sure you check out the NFL predictions and betting advice from SportsLine football analyst R.J. White. 

White, a Fantasy and gambling editor for CBS Sports, consistently crushes as SportsLine’s No. 1 expert in NFL picks against the spread. He went 445-378-24 on his ATS picks from 2017-21, which returned $2,542 to $100 players. Moreover, he’s also 44-33 on NFL picks involving the Rams, lending critical insight into this matchup.

White is known for cashing out big in the Westgate Las Vegas SuperContest twice since 2015. He also cashed big on his NFL futures in 2021, including nailing Jonathan Taylor as the NFL rushing leader at 10-1. Anyone who has followed him has seen massive returns. 

Now, White has studied the Bills vs. Rams Week 1 matchup from every angle and released a confident against-the-spread selection. You can head to SportsLine now to see White’s pick. Here are the NFL odds and betting lines for Bills vs. Rams:

• Bills vs. Rams point spread: Bills -2.5  
• Bills vs. Rams over-under total: 53 points 
• Bills vs. Rams money line: Bills -135, Rams +115 
• BUF: Bills have covered four of the last five meetings in this rivalry 
• LAR: Rams have covered five consecutive season-opening games 
• Bills vs. Rams picks: See picks here

Why the Bills can cover

Although the Bills have come up short of reaching the Super Bowl the past two seasons as quarterback Josh Allen has emerged as one of the game’s biggest stars, the team was grateful that it didn’t have to part with any significant contributors in the offseason. This is a huge accomplishment in a salary-cap sport that rarely sees a core unit stay intact more than a few seasons.

Conversely, the Bills believe they got significantly better with value draft picks and relatively low-priced free agents who could help them get over the top. Sure-handed receiver Jamison Crowder signed a free-agent deal to add depth to an already lethal group of wide receivers. Veteran guard Roger Saffold will help protect Allen and draft pick James Cook is a versatile running back who could emerge as a major contributor in his rookie year. The Bills also signed veteran linebacker Von Miller to a six-year, $120 million deal. Miller won a Super Bowl MVP with Denver and was considered a key cog in the Rams’ run to a Super Bowl title last season.

Why the Rams can cover

There was some concern about the health of Matthew Stafford because the veteran signal-caller continues to deal with lingering tendinitis in his elbow, but it appears he is on track to be at full health for the regular season. Coach Sean McVay said the club took extreme precautionary measures to ensure the quarterback would be ready for games that count while avoiding an unnecessary threat of a setback. That’s why Stafford didn’t appear in the exhibition season and has rarely participated in full practices.

But this recently changed as Stafford took part in an intra-squad scrimmage and has stepped up his intensity and volume in practice. Both the quarterback and his coach expressed confidence that the Rams’ leader will be ready to go for the season-opener at full health. “I felt like I got a bunch of good work in,” Stafford told the media. “I feel good and right on track to be doing what I want to be doing.”

How to make Rams vs. Bills picks

White has analyzed this matchup, and while we can tell you he’s leaning Over on the point total, he has also discovered a critical X-factor that has him jumping all over one side of the spread. He’s only sharing what it is, and which side to back, at SportsLine.

So who wins Bills vs. Rams in the NFL Kickoff Game 2022? And which X-factor makes one side of the spread hit hard? Visit SportsLine now to see which side of the Bills vs. Rams spread you need to jump on, all from the expert who’s 44-33 on Rams picks, and find out.