NFL Football Preview | Oakland v Buffalo
Two teams that haven’t seen post season play in a very long time have found new hope after starting out their respective season with big wins in Week 1, and now will face each other when the Oakland Raiders head east to take on the Buffalo Bills on Sunday at Ralph Wilson Stadium.
Raiders v Bills
Venue/Stadium: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Orchard Park, New York
Time/Date: 1:00 PM ET, Sunday, September 18, 2011
NFL Odds From: 5 Dimes
Moneyline: OFF
Spread (ATS): Bills -3 1/2
Over/Under: 41
The Raiders are looking to go 2-0 for the first time since they last made a postseason appearance, eventually losing to Tampa Bay in the 2002 Super Bowl.
After nearly making the playoffs a year ago, Oakland kicked off the Hue Jackson ear with a 23-20 win at Denver on Monday night.
Quarterback Jason Campbell led the Raiders’ offense, finishing with two touchdowns while Sebastian Janikowski kicked three field goals, including an NFL record-tying 63-yarder just before halftime.
Okay so the Raiders got Janny. But do they possess all the weapons and the discipline they need to end their playoff drought?
Well for starters, they did a good job of avoiding the mistakes that have been their undoing in the past. Avoiding costly turnovers and bad penalties , and Campbell was far from extraordinary in the teams opener, in fact he was closer to ordinary, completing just around 50 percent of his passes.
On the other hand, exalted receiver Darrius Heyward-Bey caught four passes and he looked noticeably improved over prior outings, and the ground game seemed to click, running away for 190 yards against the Broncos.
Once again, workhorse Darren McFadden, who after rushing for more than 1,100 yards last year, shouldered the bulk of the carries, handling the ball 22 times for 150 yards in his 2011 debut. Michel Bush also pitched in with gained 30 yards on nine carries. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Good for Oakland who will need all it can get from its backfield heading into Sunday’s contest against a Bills’ defense that had no trouble stopping Kansas City’s running backs.
Not only were the Bills good at stuffing the run– holding Kansas City to 108 yards– but they were pretty good at dishing it out as well, with premier running back Fred Jackson, who had 20 carries for 112 yards against the Chiefs, leading the way.
He will face his toughest challenge though in Week 2, facing a Raiders defense that shut down the Denver running game allowing just 38 yards on the ground.
That type of defense will force Buffalo to air the ball, something QB Ryan Fitzpatrick is more than capable of. Fitz looked composed under center against the Chiefs, completing 17 passes for just 208 yards but four of them going for touchdowns–two to Scott Chandler who caught five passes for 63 yards and four passes for 66 yards and a touchdown to Steve Johnson.
Matt’s Prediction: Buffalo 21, Raiders 17 – This will likely be a game of defense, and while the Raiders defense has been solid, the Bills, who ranked last against the run last season, have showed cosmic improvement. While I was impressed with the Raiders, I was more impressed with Buffalo’s stunning 41-7 rout of the defending AFC West champions. It isn’t going to take a lot of points to get the win here, as this one stays under the total with the Bills on top.
