Raiders Week 2 Preview vs Buffalo Bills

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The 1-0 first-place Las Vegas Raiders. Not many people had that outcome predicted, but it’s the outcome that has come to pass. Looking at their Week 2 preview, it only gets tougher from here.

Raiders Week 2 Preview vs Buffalo Bills

It’s still early, of course; everybody has only played one game. But it’s still satisfying for Raider Nation to see, nonetheless. Now they’ve got a true test in the Buffalo Bills. They’re coming in with extra motivation after losing to the New York Jets on a game-winning punt return after knocking out their future Hall of Fame quarterback Aaron Rodgers for the season. Despite being 0-1, Bills Mafia has got to feel confident going into their Week 2 previews before their matchup for a variety of reasons.

The Raiders have not won in Buffalo since 2002. It has been one of the toughest places to go in and get a win in all of football. The fans are well-known for their passion. Even when the Raiders themselves were considered in the elite tier of teams, they’ve historically struggled in Buffalo, such as losing 51-3 in the 1990 AFC Championship Game.

It’s going to be a remarkable test for this team. The Bills are considered one of the elites of the entire NFL. The Raiders are still fighting and clawing for respect. Not many experts will believe this team can get the job done on the road in hostile conditions.

This is going to be one of the toughest games the Raiders play all season. Even the most optimistic members of the Raider Nation might not have the most faith when looking at this Week 2 preview.

Let’s look at some matchups in this Week 2 preview and see some of the key matchups for both teams.

Matchups to watch:

Raiders vs. Penalties

Ah yes, a tale as old as time itself. The locations have changed, the names have changed, but the problem has never gone away. When you look at the list of the top 10 penalized teams in NFL history, the vast majority of the teams on that list are Raiders’ teams.

Even when you go back to just the last ten seasons, the Raiders are by far the most penalized team in the NFL. That’s even in the post-Al Davis era. Either Al’s lifelong conspiracy about the Raiders versus the world is still correct, or the team is just massively undisciplined.

Last week, the Raiders were penalized a whopping ten times for 97 yards. Their saving grace was that the Broncos matched them with ten penalties as well for 83 yards.

The Raiders also had six penalties that resulted in first downs for the Broncos. There’s no way that they can do that against the Bills and have any sort of prayer for success. The Bills are in the elite tier of NFL teams. They will absolutely make the Raiders pay if the Raiders come out with the same sloppy undisciplined play this week in Buffalo. Looking ahead to this Week 2 preview, they must cut down on the flags. Don’t let the refs determine the outcome of the game by being sloppy.

Josh Allen vs. Raiders Secondary

Josh Allen struggled mightily against a tough Jets defense. He was wild, erratic, and made very questionable decisions all game. There are now rumbles about the infamous “Madden Curse” getting to him. I think we have to pump the breaks a little bit. Allen is still one of the top 3-4 quarterbacks in all of football. He’s dynamic on the field, as not many guys his size have both the speed and the throwing ability to be a dual-threat quarterback.

The Raiders secondary is coming off a game where Russell Wilson completed a high volume of passes. The notoriously bad Broncos’ red zone offense managed to make it look too easy against them last week. The Raiders defense did hold them to 16 points on six possessions, which is an improvement from last season. But in the first half, they struggled mightily.

Looking at this Week 2 preview, if the Raiders are going to beat the Bills, they’re going to have to force turnovers. They didn’t force any week 1, and the last several seasons have proven this to be a Herculean task for them. But the Jets laid out the blueprint for what to do against the Bills and how to beat them. Forcing Allen to throw the ball to the guys in silver and black is going to be the key here.

Raiders O-Line vs. Bills D-Line

The men in the trenches had a great day for the Raiders in Week 1. They kept quarterback Jimmy Garroppolo clean all day long in the pocket, allowing 0 sacks and only three hits all day long. One of the hits resulted in a roughing the passer penalty due to the latency of the hit, which was huge on the Raiders’ game-winning comeback drive that allowed them to beat the Broncos 17-16. The offensive line played as good of a game as they have since head coach Josh McDaniels arrived in Las Vegas.

The Bills have a very solid defensive line. Ed Oliver in the middle is one of the best defensive tackles in football. Greg Rousseau is an extremely valuable edge rusher and has a very quick first step off the snap. The only fortune for the Raiders is that future Hall of Famer Von Miller is out for this game. That’s something to account for when discussing this matchup in the Week 2 preview.

Looking at this Week 2 preview, for the Raiders to win this game, the Raiders need to dominate the front lines. They’ll have to keep Jimmy G as clean as they did in Denver to have a chance to win. It’s not going to be easy with Oliver up the middle supplying pressure, as that’s one thing Denver didn’t have going for them. He’s a monster to deal with, and his pressure up the middle is going to prove to be a factor in both the passing and running games.

Right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor will draw the assignment against Rousseau and will have to be stout in his performance. He had a relatively clean game in Week 1 with only one false start penalty after leading the league last season. Looking at the Week 2 preview of his matchup, I think he has a chance to back up the PFF stats that last season had him in the top tier of pass blockers in the NFL.

Prediction

This will be a massive mountain for the Raiders to climb. They’re going into one of the craziest environments in the NFL to face a very angry Bills team. This Week 2 preview showcased this isn’t going to be easy by any means. The Raiders want to stay in first place. But do they have what it takes to beat the Bills in their own backyard?

After going through this Week 2 preview, I don’t think the good guys win this one. The Bills just have too much firepower on offense for the Raiders defense to handle. I don’t think the defense keeps Jimmy G as clean as they did in Week 1, even without Von Miller. Josh Jacobs didn’t get going as much as I thought he would, given his prior history against Denver, and I don’t think he pops off much this week, which will make a difference. Jakobi Myers also likely will miss this week with a concussion after going off for two touchdowns in week 1.

This is a bounceback game for the Bills. After looking through this Week 2 preview, it’s not looking good for the Silver and Black. Upsets have happened many times before, and there’s still hope for Raider Nation. But unfortunately for the Raiders, as Chris Berman used to say, “Nobody circles the wagons like the Buffalo Bills.”

Final Score:

Raiders 17 – Bills 35