ProFootballDoc: The Healthier Team For Tonight's NFL Opener May Surprise You

This year's Super Bowl favorite plays last year's Super Bowl Champion. The Buffalo Bills visit the Los Angeles Rams tonight and the healthier squad is the home team.

With all the talk about Matthew Stafford's elbow issue, one might worry about the defending champs' chances, but there is nothing to worry about as explained here.

The biggest worry is who will cover Offensive MVP Cooper Kupp as Bills #1 corner Tre'Davious White is out and still recovering from a torn ACL.

A picture is worth a thousand words and the interactive field view and SIC scores tell the story. Click on each position to see the individual details and health scores or flip to the other side of the ball.

BUFvsLAR

While most teams are healthy Week 1, the Bills pass defense has a lower health score with White's absence and star safety Jordan Poyer coming off elbow issues. Yes the Rams will be without #3 receiver Van Jefferson, but Buffalo will have to contend with Kupp and Alan Robinson and perhaps one should consider the over props for the game. Cam Akers made a very fast (but less than stellar) return late last season from his Achilles, but he should be much healthier coming into this season and his depressed rush yards prop of only 43.5 is worth consideration

With the home team getting +2.5 and being the healthier side, the Rams seem the smarter play here.

We hope to continue the trend of winning picks against the spread using the unseen health advantages from Sports Injury Central www.SICscore.com . While picking five games a week, we amassed a nice +20 margin (50-30-5 record) for the 2021 regular season. Adding last season's +9 margin (49-40-1) gives us an almost 60% win percentage over the last two seasons playing these injury advantages. We hope this analysis continues to help OutKick readers with winners.

Written by
David Chao, MD -- known digitally as Pro Football Doc -- is an expert contributor for Outkick. Chao spent 17 seasons as the team doctor for the San Diego Chargers (1997-2013) and is part of the medical team at OASIS in San Diego where he treats and specializes in orthopedic sports injuries, working with high-profile professional athletes from the NFL, NBA, and MLB.