Behind Enemy Lines: 5 questions with Rams Wire

CD: Fans loved him in Los Angeles last season, but they’ve certainly soured on him since he left. They’ve grown even more frustrated with him in the last few months, too, since he started heavily recruiting Odell Beckham Jr. to Buffalo. There’s no question the Rams are going to miss him on the edge because he was such an impactful player in the second half last season, but there are no hard feelings in the locker room toward Von. Players still respect him and his decision, but they’re also confident in the guys the Rams have at outside linebacker as potential replacements.

CD: Simple: feed Cooper Kupp and Allen Robinson. Beckham was only here for the second half of last year and while he certainly helped the offense and provided a spark, the Rams didn’t suddenly start moving the ball when he arrived. Where he helped most is in the red zone and on downfield throws where he could use his leaping ability and athleticism to make plays over defenders. Robinson can do many of those same things, and Kupp is, well, Kupp. He’s going to get at least 10 targets and probably go over 100 yards again this week, just as he did most games last year.

CD: They do feel a little overlooked. They’re not even the first or second favorites among NFC teams, sitting behind the Bucs and Packers. Sure, they lost Miller and still haven’t re-signed Beckham, but this is still one of the most talented teams in the league. And it’s reasonable to think Matthew Stafford will get better in Year 2 with the Rams. If that happens, the team as a whole will improve and the defense won’t have to defend so many short fields if Stafford cuts down on the turnovers.

CD: I’d say it’s Leonard Floyd. He’s not in the group of stars with Aaron Donald, Kupp, Stafford, Jalen Ramsey, Bobby Wagner and Allen Robinson, but he’s a big part of this defense as the No. 1 edge rusher. He played through an ankle injury all last season and now that he’s fully healthy, he could be in for a big year.

CD: It’s surprising that the Rams are underdogs at home in the opener, but even still, I like them to win this one against the Bills. The additions of Wagner and Robinson will be huge on each side of the ball, and though there are questions about the offensive line, they still have David Edwards, Rob Havenstein and Brian Allen in the starting group. The Rams have advantages at wide receiver against this Bills secondary, which they should be able to capitalize on.