Cause for Concern? Rams Offensive Line Struggles in Blowout Loss to Bills

A look at how concerned Rams' fans should be about their poor offensive line performance against the Bills.

© Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

There might not be a more underappreciated group in football than the offensive line. They rarely see their names in the paper and those rare occasions that they do tend to be after a bad game. 

For the Los Angeles Rams offensive line, their season opener against the Buffalo Bills was one of those bad games. The Bills' defense wreaked havoc throughout the game on the offensive line, preventing the Rams' offense from getting into a rhythm and starting to click on offense, resulting in a 31-10 blowout loss. 

What happened as a result was one of the NFL's best offenses from last season only scoring 10 points on a meager 243 yards of total offense. Of course, only one game doesn't tell the entire story of a season, especially the season opener. However, there is cause for concern with this offensive line unit. 

They allowed Stafford to be sacked seven times and gave up 15 quarterback hits. Those numbers would lead you to believe the Bills ran a blitz-heavy defense, but they didn't blitz a single time. The Bills' defense made Stafford's night a nightmare without the usage of any additional pressure. 

Perhaps most concerning was left tackle Joe Noteboom. The Rams' replacement for Andrew Whitworth, who retired following the Super Bowl victory, did not make a strong impression against the Bills. Noteboom allowed three sacks and 10 pressures in the loss. 

While Thursday night was disconcerting for Rams fans after the offensive line performance, it is far too soon to panic. They return three starters and Joe Noteboom, who looked good when he saw the field last season. The Bills also boast arguably the NFL's best defense. 

However, if the Rams' offensive line performs as they did against the Bills throughout the rest of the season, it could be a rough one for the Rams' offense. Life was already going to be difficult for the reigning Super Bowl champions this season. Adding poor offensive line play will only make things worse if they don't improve. 

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You can find Connor Zimmerlee on Twitter @Connorjz98

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