Raiders vs. Bills preview: How they match up, injuries, bold predictions

The Las Vegas Raiders were outclassed last week in a blowout loss to the New England Patriots. Beating the Super Bowl contending Buffalo Bills this week will require a better all-around effort. The Bills have won the last three meetings for a 22-21 edge in a series that dates back to 1960, when they were both original members of the AFL. Buffalo has won both postseason matchups, including a 51-3 thrashing in the 1991 AFC championship game en route to the first of four straight Super Bowl losses. The Bills also beat the Raiders in the divisional round three years later during that iteration’s final AFC championship run. The Raiders own the longest winning streak in the rivalry, winning six straight matchups from 1967 to 1972.

Sept. 17, 2023 — Josh Allen completed 31 of 37 passes for 274 yards and three touchdowns in a 38-10 blowout win for the Bills in Orchard Park, N.Y. James Cook added 123 rushing yards as the Raiders were shutout in the second half. Buffalo possessed the football for more than 40 minutes and outgained the Raiders 450-240. Jimmy Garoppolo threw for 185 yards, but intercepted twice quarterbacking Las Vegas. Josh Jacobs lost 2 yards on nine carries. Ashton Jeanty, averaging 3.3 yards per carry and 58.2 rushing yards per game this season, exceeds 75 rushing yards on better than 4 yards per carry. The Bills rush for more than 145 yards, becoming the fourth consecutive opponent for Las Vegas to top that mark.

The Bills played the Los Angeles Rams last week on “Monday Night Football” and practiced this week at UC Irvine with a flight to Las Vegas in tow. Their fans are among the NFL’s most passionate, traveling often to support their team. Expect a see of blue and red to fill Allegiant Stadium. Buffalo and Las Vegas are in different stages organizationally, the Bills a Super Bowl contender with Allen in his prime as one of the NFL’s best players and the Raiders a rebuilder yet to prove it can beat the league’s best teams. Las Vegas defensive back Taron Johnson played the last eight seasons for Buffalo, which traded him (with a seventh-round draft pick) to the Raiders in March for a sixth-round pick. Bills quarterbacks coach Bo Hardegree had the same position in Las Vegas in 2022 and 2023, when he also served as the interim offensive coordinator upon the dismissal of coach Josh McDaniels.

Allen drives one of the NFL’s most potent offenses by doubling as a power runner while serving as an explosive passer downfield. Keep him in the pocket and risk him spraying the football to targets across the field. Get him moving and he’ll bend around the edge or through the middle for chunks of yards. “He’s a really good player and somebody you got to account for,” Raiders defensive coordinator Rob Leonard said. “But it’s not something you don’t have to deal with in other weeks of the season. But yes, definitely have to be aware of him as a rusher. He’s really good at extended plays, whether he scrambles to run, or scrambles to throw.” Behind Allen is Cook, the NFL’s leading rusher last season and a three-time Pro Bowl honoree. The fifth-year speedster has three times this year crossed the 100-yard plateau, averaging 5.6 yards per rush for the fourth-most prolific r

Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal