Raiders look for first 2-0 road start to a season since 1982 in traveling to play Bills

2023-09-15 01:54

The Las Vegas Raiders have an opportunity to open a season with two consecutive road wins for the first time since 1982 on Sunday, when they travel to play the Buffalo Bills

LAS VEGAS (1-0) at BUFFALO (0-1)

Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT, CBS

OPENING LINE: Bills by 9 1/2, according to FanDuel SportsBook.

AGAINST THE SPREAD: Las Vegas 1-0; Buffalo 0-1.

SERIES RECORD: Tied 21-21.

LAST MEETING: Bills beat Raiders 30-23 on Oct. 4, 2020, in Las Vegas.

LAST WEEK: Raiders beat Broncos 17-16; Bills lost to Jets 22-16 OT.

RAIDERS OFFENSE: OVERALL (22), RUSH (30), PASS (13), SCORING (20t).

RAIDERS DEFENSE: OVERALL (10), RUSH (16), PASS (13), SCORING (8t).

BILLS OFFENSE: OVERALL (13), RUSH (14t), PASS (10), SCORING (22t).

BILLS DEFENSE: OVERALL (18), RUSH (29), PASS (6), SCORING (21).

TURNOVER DIFFERENTIAL: Raiders minus-1; Bills minus-3.

RAIDERS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Hunter Renfrow. He was surprisingly not targeted at all in the opener at Denver, but with Jakobi Meyers in concussion protocol this week, that could open opportunities. Here’s a receiver who had more than 1,000 yards just two years ago, but has been an odd fit in coach Josh McDaniels’ system, which has led to trade speculation. This could be Renfrow’s chance to show he should be a bigger part of the offense or perhaps could even interest one of the other 31 teams.

BILLS PLAYER TO WATCH: WR Gabe Davis needs to step up his play to re-establish himself as the Bills No. 2 receiver opposite Stefon Diggs. Davis caught two of four passes thrown his way for 32 yards, with Josh Allen forcing one attempt that led to his third interception against the Jets.

KEY MATCHUP: Bills CB Tre’Davious White covering WR Davante Adams. White held Garrett Wilson in check for the most part on Monday, with the second-year Jets receiver finishing with five catches for 34 yards and a touchdown. White got a hand on the ball on Wilson’s TD catch, but the receiver managed to reel it in while toppling to the ground. Adams quickly established a rapport with Jimmy Garoppolo in finishing with six catches for 66 yards.

KEY INJURIES: Meyers’ availability is in question after being placed in the concussion protocol. ... For Buffalo, center Mitch Morse is practicing and expected to play after hurting his finger against the Jets.

SERIES NOTES: The Bills have won two straight, but are 4-6 in their past 10 meetings going back to 1999. ... Buffalo hasn’t won three straight outings against the Raiders since a four-game stretch spanning the 1988-91 seasons, and including Buffalo’s 51-3 rout in the 1990 season AFC championship game. ... The Bills have won three straight at Orchard Park, New York, with their most recent home loss, a 49-31 decision, on Oct. 6, 2002. ... One of the series more memorable recent outings came in Week 2 in 2011, when Buffalo overcame a 21-3 halftime deficit in a 38-35 win sealed by Ryan Fitzpatrick’s 6-yard TD pass to David Nelson with 14 seconds remaining.

STATS AND STUFF: The Raiders had zero three-and-outs at Denver, the first time they accomplished that since Week 16 in 2021. That also was against the Broncos. … Meyers became the third player to catch two touchdown passes in his Raiders debut. … K Daniel Carlson is seven points from 600. Only five other Raiders players have reached that figure. … Las Vegas has the chance to open the season with a 2-0 record on the road, which would be the first time for the Raiders since 1982. … WR Davante Adams has caught passes in 115 consecutive games, the NFL’s fifth-longest active streak. … DE Maxx Crosby is 1½ sacks from 40, which would make him the fifth Raiders to hit that mark. ... The Bills have opened a season with two losses just once, in 2018, during coach Sean McDermott’s tenure, which began in 2017. ... Since 2019, Buffalo has a 12-4 record when coming off a loss. ... Buffalo’s 16 points scored on Monday were the team’s lowest output since a 14-10 loss to New England on Dec. 6, 2021. ... After committing four turnovers against the Jets, Allen has thrown nine interceptions and lost three fumbles over his past six starts, including playoffs. He also has 12 TDs passing and two rushing over the same stretch. ... Allen went 13-3 last season despite leading the NFL with 19 turnovers (14 interceptions, five lost fumbles), and was 10-3 in games he committed a turnover. Overall, he has a 30-21 record when committing a turnover in an outing. ... With 102 yards receiving against New York, WR Stefon Diggs topped 100 yards for the 17th time in Buffalo, and 32nd time of his career including his first five seasons in Minnesota. Diggs moved ahead of Elbert Dubenion on the Bills list of players who topped 100 yards in an outing, and trails only Eric Moulds (21) and Hall of Famer Andre Reed (39). ... LB Matt Milano was in on eight tackles, including one for a loss, and had an interception against the Jets. ... The Bills limited New York to 13 first downs, the fewest in a loss since holding New England to 11 in the Patriots’ 14-10 win on Dec. 6, 2021.

FANTASY TIP: Raiders RB Josh Jacobs should have a good chance of finding some running room against a Bills defense that allowed 172 yards against the Jets on Monday, with Breece Hall gaining 127 on just 10 carries.

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