(Photo: Prime Video)
AFC Game Of The Week
Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders
Bills (4-1):
That was some game on Monday night, wasn’t it? Those are the contests that make us love the game, and up to this point, that’s the best game I’ve previewed all season long. Now that I’ve got that out of the way, I can say what I really want to say. That was such a big and important win for the Bills, especially after the New England Patriots beat them in Week 4. That means New England owns the head-to-head tiebreaker, and had Buffalo lost this game, the Bills would be sitting in second place in the AFC East. Monday night wasn’t their best performance by any means. However, when they needed to deliver, they did just that. Whenever I break down the Buffalo Bills, I always say that, defensively, you must use a spy in the middle against Josh Allen and mirror his movements. A common mistake teams make when playing man coverage is accounting for everyone except one guy, and nine times out of ten, that guy is the quarterback. There’s no team that thrives more on broken plays than these Bills. I can’t even begin to tell you how many times I saw the Rams’ defenders turn their backs, leaving green pastures wide open for Josh to take advantage of with his mobility. Quite frankly, the Rams didn’t adjust, even though he did this repeatedly. The Bills won that game because Josh Allen and James Cook took over with their legs while the passing attack struggled. Outside of that, my biggest takeaway was their run defense and how they stacked the box, limited Kyren Williams, and forced the Rams to rely heavily on Matthew Stafford’s passing. The penalties and turnovers were the negatives, but when the Bills needed to deliver, they did. Buffalo will stay on the West Coast and make its way to Vegas in Week 6.
Raiders (3-2):
Let’s face it: the Raiders have come back to reality over their last two games. However, I’ll give them their due because I was impressed with how they hung around against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4. They entered that game with a 3–0 record, and it was their biggest game in recent memory. Losing a close game to Patrick Mahomes is one thing. The Raiders simply ran out of gas, but I want to talk about their Week 5 loss to the New England Patriots. First, the Raiders’ rushing attack went night-night and disappeared. They managed just 38 rushing yards, and balance is still key. I don’t care how pass-heavy the game has become; running the ball still pays dividends, as I commonly say. When the ground game isn’t clicking, it makes the offense far more predictable and puts more pressure on Kirk Cousins. Next, the mistakes hurt them at the worst possible times. Brock Bowers fumbling the football is a perfect example, and it goes to show that even your playmakers can swing a game with one costly turnover. I also noticed that the team struggled to complement itself. The offense couldn’t sustain drives, and the defense couldn’t stop the opposing offense from putting points on the board. That leads me to my final point: the defense had an incredibly tough time containing Drake Maye, making him look like the second coming of Tom Brady as he accounted for five touchdowns on the day—four passing and one rushing. Outside of that Week 5 beatdown, I’ll say this: the Raiders are an improved team, and Klint Kubiak is the right guy for the job. The Raiders return home on Sunday and will look to bounce back against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills.
Bills X-Factor: James Cook
Monday night should tell you one thing: get out of the way and let him cook! Plain and simple! The Raiders’ defense has struggled to stop the run this year, and this is something the Bills must capitalize on if they want to leave Vegas with a victory. Josh Allen will draw plenty of attention, but I think this is one of those situations where you ask a defense, “Which would you rather contain?” James can take a routine handoff and turn it into a chunk play. He also has the speed to reach the second and third levels of the defense. If the Bills can feed James the ball early, it’ll force the Raiders to defend the entire field and allow Buffalo to dictate the game. James can also take pressure off Josh. If Cook starts ripping off big runs, the Raiders simply can’t focus solely on Josh’s arm or mobility.
Raiders X-Factor: Tre Tucker
He has developed nice chemistry with Kirk Cousins, and I’ll be watching him closely in this game. In this sport, you can’t double-team or put too much emphasis on one guy without opening up opportunities for everyone else. This is where Tre comes into the picture. He can force the Bills to respect him in single coverage, and he has the ability to punish that matchup, especially if Bowers and Ashton Jeanty are commanding extra attention. Tre has demonstrated big-play ability, and that’s the kind of impact the Raiders need. Most importantly, he gives Kirk a vertical weapon while Brock Bowers does his work underneath. Tucker will need to be involved more consistently, and the offense will benefit if that happens.
Final Thoughts:
This should be an entertaining game, and who would’ve thought I’d be breaking down this matchup in Week 6? The Bills won that wild game against the Rams on Monday night, while the Raiders have lost their last two games and are looking to get back on track. I’ve seen teams carry the momentum from a big win into the following week, but that simply can’t be the Bills’ mindset in this one—or any team’s, for that matter. Last week’s touchdowns don’t count toward this week’s results. Always remember that. The Bills must feed James Cook early and attack a Raiders run defense that’s allowing 140 yards per game. Get him touches, use outside runs, and mix in some screen passes to force the Raiders to account for him in space. Buffalo must also allow Josh Allen to use his mobility intelligently. I’d incorporate designed runs, take advantage of open running lanes, and let him scramble when the coverage turns its back. The Bills should also attack the Vegas pass defense with Dalton Kincaid and Khalil Shakir. On the other side, the Raiders must force Josh Allen to beat them from the pocket. They need to keep him from escaping, use interior pressure to collapse the pocket, and avoid allowing him to extend plays. Offensively, Las Vegas must allow Ashton Jeanty to set the tone early. Establishing the run would help keep the Bills’ offense on the sidelines while making the Raiders less predictable. They should also use Bowers in space against a Buffalo secondary that has shown vulnerabilities. Target Brock on intermediate routes and use Tre Tucker to stretch the field vertically.
