The Buffalo Bills will begin their quest for a long-awaited Super Bowl title when they face the reigning champion Los Angeles Rams on Thursday in the first game of an NFL season that could be the last for decorated Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady.

Buffalo, which famously lost four consecutive Super Bowls in the early 1990s, has an elite quarterback, Josh Allen, at the helm of a dynamic offense that can strike fear into defenses and has been tabbed as the early favorite to win it all.

"It'll be a big challenge for us," Bills coach Sean McDermott said of opening the year against the Rams. "They're the defending Super Bowl champs, (and) at their place, so we've got to play good team ball."

The Rams went 12-5 last year before going on to a 23-20 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals in their home stadium in the Super Bowl.

As Los Angeles begins its title defense, star cornerback Jalen Ramsey insists his teammates are dialed in.

"When you have great ambition to be legendary and elite, it's easy to turn that page and go strive for the next big thing," Ramsey said.

The Bills enter the season looking to bounce back after a stunning overtime loss to the Kansas City Chiefs in the divisional round of the playoffs last season despite scoring a go-ahead touchdown with 13 seconds left in regulation.

Buffalo is hoping for a breakthrough season with Allen firmly entrenched near the top of the best quarterbacks list.

Allen, who passed for 4,407 yards, 36 touchdowns and 15 interceptions last season, downplayed the hype over the season opener.

"It's just another game," Allen said. "We understand there's going to be a lot of people watching. It's an anticipated wait to the NFL season. We're excited for it, and I know the Rams are excited for it. Going in to play the defending Super Bowl champs and watching them raise their banner, that'll be an interesting feeling for sure."

On defense, the Bills added linebacker Von Miller in the offseason. The eight-time Pro Bowl selection earned a Super Bowl ring with the Rams last season and decided not to show it to his new teammates as he pursues another one.

"There was no reason for me to leave," Miller said of departing Los Angeles. "I just felt like (Buffalo) was my place to be. And whenever you leave on those terms, it's always going to be some weird feelings. But at the end of the day, man, those are my brothers. And I know they feel the same about me."

The new campaign follows one of the wildest offseasons in recent memory, one that saw superstar quarterback Russell Wilson among nine players with a combined 39 Pro Bowl selections who were traded in March.

The Denver Broncos' addition of Wilson, via a trade with the Seattle Seahawks, has given the team plenty of optimism in a loaded AFC West that includes the Chiefs, Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers.

"We've got a championship-caliber football team," Wilson said during training camp. "Now it's time to just show up and prove it, go out and do it."

The Chiefs' offense will have a different look after the departure of speedy receiver Tyreek Hill in a trade to Miami, but quarterback Patrick Mahomes, one of the best at the position, and tight end Travis Kelce should continue to light up the scoreboard.

In Tampa Bay, the 45-year-old Brady will again lead the way for the Bucs after a short-lived retirement that lasted 39 days earlier this year. Brady and the Bucs are expected to be contenders for a second Super Bowl title in three seasons.

Brady took time off for personal reasons and missed the first two preseason games but made a brief appearance during the third and final contest, looking sharp in the one series he played. He later declared himself ready to go.

"I feel good," the seven-time Super Bowl winner said. "I've played football for a long time. I'm pretty good at it. Doesn't take long for me to remember how to play it."

Elsewhere around the league, the Bengals, who reached the Super Bowl for the first time since 1989 last season, fortified their offensive line to provide more protection for quarterback Joe Burrow.

The Indianapolis Colts have more stability at quarterback after acquiring former NFL MVP Matt Ryan in a deal with the Atlanta Falcons.

In Pittsburgh, the Steelers begin a new era without newly retired two-time Super Bowl champion Ben Roethlisberger. The team announced that Mitch Trubisky will start the season in his place.

The Rams are looking to become the first repeat champions since the Brady-led New England Patriots did it in the 2003 and 2004 seasons but will have their work cut out for them in the parity-driven NFL.