What TV channel is Rams-Bills tonight? Live stream, time, how to watch online

The 2022 NFL season debuts Thursday, Sept. 8, when the Buffalo Bills travel to the Los Angeles Rams. The game will be live streamed on DirecTV Stream (free trial) and fuboTV (live stream).

The Rams will unveil the Super Bowl banner Thursday night at SoFi Stadium before they get another reminder of just how little their championship victory on that same field last winter will mean this fall.

The NFL chose Von Miller and the powerhouse Buffalo Bills as the Rams’ opponent in their season opener, practically ensuring a difficult start to a season in which they’re widely perceived to have the league’s toughest schedule. The Rams know they’ll get every opponent’s best shot this year, starting with a visit from a team holding serious championship aspirations of its own.

The Rams are Vegas underdogs in their first game since winning their franchise’s second Super Bowl title. In fact, the Bills could send Los Angeles to a place it has never been with McVay — below .500.

The Rams have never lost a season opener or had a losing record at any point in the tenure of McVay, who took over in 2017 and immediately built a perennial winner with general manager Les Snead.

Sean McDermott got his job in Buffalo one week before McVay, and the still-young coaches already have the sixth- and seventh-longest tenures in the league. But while McVay got the ultimate validation last season, McDermott is hoping this will be the year for the Bills’ first Super Bowl trip since the 1993 season.

When is Bills-Rams?

The Buffalo Bills play the Los Angeles Rams at 7:20 p.m. (8:20 p.m. ET) Thursday, Sept. 8.

Live stream options DirecTV Stream

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial.

There are four options of DirecTV Stream:

The Entertainment Package, which consists of 65+ channels, is $54.99 until the promotion runs out April 30. It’s the basic package for can’t-miss entertainment – including ESPN, TNT, Nickelodeon and HGTV.

The Choice Package has more than 90 channels and is $74.99 during the promotion. The channels in ENTERTAINMENT, plus MLB Network, NBA TV, college sports networks, and more. Enjoy Regional Sports Networks with no additional fees.

The Ultimate Package has more than 130 channels and is $89.99 during the promotion. Everything in CHOICE, plus Oxygen, Golf Channel, NHL Network, Universal Kids and more.

The Premier Package has more than 140 channels and is $134.99 during the promotion. Everything in ULTIMATE, plus HBO Max, SHOWTIME, STARZ, Cinemax and more.

DirecTV Stream offers a free trial that doesn’t require much effort.

To sign up, enter a phone number, email address and credit card, and you’ll receive five days of the service without charge.

In addition, enhance your experience with the DirecTV Stream device. While it doesn’t include a free trial, it give you access to thousands of apps like Netflix and more on Google Play. You can search using the voice remote with Google Assistant, and you can enjoy a traditional live TV channel guide. It is sold separately.

FuboTV

The game will be live streamed on fuboTV, which offers a free trial. The most basic of plans is the “fubo standard” package, which comprises 121-plus channels for $69.99 per month. Like all cord-cutting alternatives, there are plenty of options, especially for sports. It comes with more than 1,000 hours of cloud-based DVR, and up to 10 screens at once.

Will it be televised?

Rams-Bills Tech will be televised on NBC.

Preview

DORSEY’S DEBUT: Ken Dorsey first made his name in football by going 38-2 as the University of Miami’s quarterback from 1999-2002, a stint which included a national championship in 2001. Dorsey now makes his debut as an offensive coordinator, running one of the league’s most productive groups after being promoted to replace Brian Daboll.

“Whether you’re a position coach or a play-caller or a head coach, I really feel like you’ve got to go earn it,” Dorsey said. “No one’s going to hand you anything. When you get to the point where I’ve been fortunate enough to get to right now, you don’t take it for granted, because you realize how hard it is to get there.”

TWO NEW RAMS: While Los Angeles lost Miller to a more lucrative offer in Buffalo, it added two key veterans in free agency. Inside linebacker Bobby Wagner debuts as the defensive signal-caller for his hometown team after a decade in Seattle, while receiver Allen Robinson takes over as Kupp’s counterpart.

BACKUPS AT CORNER: The biggest question mark looming for Buffalo’s defense is which rookie — Kaiir Elam or Christian Benford — will start at cornerback opposite Dane Jackson in their vaunted pass defense with Tre’Davious White sidelined by a left knee injury and Levi Wallace gone in free agency.

Elam is Buffalo’s first-round pick out of Florida, while Benford was a sixth-round selection out of Villanova. Both were locked in competition through the preseason.

“We’re still working through that,” McDermott said. “Everything we try and do is to give our team the best advantage to win, and do right by the players on our team, and make sure that they’re in the right headspace to play their best football, particularly for these two rookies.”

AD ON VON: Donald enjoyed his brief chance to play with another fellow Hall of Fame-caliber defender last season, but the seven-time All-Pro said he hasn’t spoken to Miller this week.

“If anything, we had conversations more about leadership things, being more of a vocal guy,” Donald said. “I give a lot of credit (to Miller) definitely for that playoff run. Having conversations with Von, I feel like he challenged me with some things as a vocal leader, and I stepped in when I needed to. Always respect and love Von for that. We created some special things, so we miss him.

“But he’s on the opposite side now, so he is the enemy.”

VON ON AD: Miller has too much respect for Donald to even begin to suggest there’s a way to contain him.

“There is no weakness,” Miller said.

“I’d be setting them up for failure if I tell them, like, ‘If you just do this, you’ll be all right.′ Like, he’s good at everything,” he added. “Aaron Donald’s going to make plays, and we just got to find ways to make just one more play than those guys.”

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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