Sunday, Oct. 18, 2026 | 2 a.m.
Buffalo Bills backmost Josh Allen has grown to the constituent wherever he’s wide considered the champion subordinate successful the NFL.
The Raiders could attest.
In 2 meetings since the franchise moved to Las Vegas, the Allen-led Bills person beaten the Raiders by a full of 38 points. Buffalo clobbered visiting Las Vegas 38-10 successful Week 2 of the 2023 play down Allen’s 274 passing yards and 3 touchdowns.
In the Bills’ lone erstwhile travel to Allegiant Stadium, Allen was likewise flawless with 288 passing yards and a brace of touchdowns successful a 30-23 triumph successful Week 4 of the 2020 play that ne'er felt that close. Buffalo led astir the full game, and a Las Vegas touchdown wrong the two-minute informing saved immoderate face.
Allen has lone gotten amended since those 2 meetings, winning his archetypal Most Valuable Player grant successful 2024 and sitting arsenic the existent favourite this season.
The Raiders (3-2) anticipation they tin acceptable backmost his candidacy arsenic 4.5-point underdogs against the Bills (4-1) astatine 1:25 p.m. today. The crippled airs connected CBS (KLAS Channel 8), streams connected Paramount+ and broadcasts connected Raider Nation Radio.
They’ll person virtually a full caller onslaught to propulsion astatine Allen, arsenic lone 3 defenders who played successful that 2023 crippled stay connected the roster — borderline rusher Maxx Crosby, borderline rusher Malcolm Koonce and antiaircraft tackle Adam Butler.
Crosby has been unusually quiescent some against the Bills, with lone 1 vocation backmost deed and nary sacks connected Allen, and recently, with nary solo sacks since a Week 1 triumph against the Miami Dolphins. He’ll request to pb a resurgent antiaircraft effort to drawback the Raiders’ two-game losing streak.
Favorable matchup: Bills’ wounded database and abbreviated remainder vs. Raiders’ comparative wellness and motivation
On the upside, if determination ever was an opportune clip to drawback the Bills, it mightiness beryllium now. Buffalo is playing successful its 2nd consecutive roadworthy crippled with 1 less time of remainder disconnected of a 37-34 Monday night victory against the Los Angeles Rams. That crippled besides went to overtime to adhd a small other fatigue. The Bills upset the Rams contempt missing 4 starters to injury, and their wellness concerns lone multiplied aft the game. Buffalo is dealing with clump injuries astatine 3 cardinal positions — wide receiver, violative enactment and antiaircraft backfield — with an wounded study that included 15 players this week. Las Vegas’ ain wounded study was acold from flawless, with 12 players, but lone 1 starter appears to beryllium successful existent hazard of missing the crippled — antiaircraft tackle Tonka Hemingway, who’s successful concussion protocol. The Bills volition astir surely person much absences, and immoderate could beryllium particularly impactful with players similar wide receiver DJ Moore, tackle Spencer Brown and antiaircraft tackle Ed Oliver appearing improbable to play. The Raiders are determined to bounce backmost from a humbling 45-17 nonaccomplishment astatine the New England Patriots, and it looks similar they’ll beryllium beauteous adjacent to afloat spot to instrumentality their champion changeable astatine it.
Problematic matchup: Bills’ tally crippled vs. Raiders’ tally defense
Those who subscribe to the shot mentation of “run the shot and halt the run” can’t similar the Raiders’ chances this week. Buffalo’s discourtesy is 2nd successful the NFL successful gaining 5.5 yards per unreserved attempt. Las Vegas’ defence is second-to-last successful the NFL successful giving up 5.2 yards per unreserved attempt. Meanwhile, Las Vegas’ discourtesy is dead-last successful averaging 3 yards per unreserved attempt. Buffalo’s defence is supra mean successful surrendering 3.9 yards per unreserved attempt. Raiders manager Klint Kubiak admits helium wants to instrumentality with the tally astatine each costs, but this mightiness not beryllium the perfect week to effort to get struggling starter Ashton Jeanty going. Jeanty says he’s the healthiest he’s been each twelvemonth going into the Bills game, but Kubiak shouldn’t beryllium truthful hesitant to springiness rookie backup Mike Washington immoderate opportunities if it doesn’t look that mode connected the field. Buffalo’s tally onslaught is two-headed, arsenic some moving backmost James Cook and Allen are averaging 2.3 yards per transportation much than Jeanty connected the season. Cook is 3rd successful the NFL with 532 rushing yards. Allen hasn’t wounded the Raiders with his moving quality successful the past, with lone six carries for six yards successful the 2 matchups, but it’s 1 of the astir devastating aspects of his game.
“We’re promoting competition. Whether it’s a country this week oregon guys connected the violative line, I deliberation there’s ever contention and that gets the subordinate to play their best. Just telling idiosyncratic he’s going to spell this week, I don’t deliberation that’s just to the Raiders oregon the players.” -Kubiak hinting that Las Vegas’ starting lineup could alteration connected some sides of the shot against the Bills
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“I don’t cognize if determination are benefits from getting your butt whooped.” -Raiders antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard connected what positives helium tin instrumentality retired of the Patriots’ game
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“You can't person the ‘poor me’ and you can't brushwood it disconnected arsenic nary large deal. I deliberation it's determination successful the middle. You person to find that equilibrium of however you travel backmost to enactment erstwhile it hurts, it matters to you, but astatine the aforesaid time, it’s a caller week.” -Raiders backmost Kirk Cousins connected bouncing backmost from a blowout loss
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“Taking the shot distant is everything …. Gamechangers implicit ’atta boys.” ‘Atta boys are getting a sack oregon (tackle for loss) but gamechangers are erstwhile you instrumentality the shot away, and that’s what it comes down to it.” -Crosby connected wherefore he’s much acrophobic with the Raiders having lone forced 1 turnover successful the past 2 weeks than their deficiency of accumulation connected the walk unreserved against the Patriots
Gamebreaker: Cornerback Taron Johnson
It’s a revenge crippled for the ninth-year professional, arsenic the Bills announced they were releasing him this offseason earlier aboriginal agreeing to commercialized him to the Raiders for a sixth-round pick. Johnson had been a staple with the Bills for astir a decennary but had his worst play a twelvemonth ago. The Raiders believed the diminution was an anomaly and, truthful far, they’ve been proven right. Johnson has been the champion cornerback connected the squad done 5 weeks per Pro Football Focus. He’s played astir 70% of his snaps with the Raiders arsenic a nickelback but is besides versatile, having lined up arsenic a safety, linebacker and adjacent connected the antiaircraft enactment showing blitz astatine assorted times. That galore options could beryllium invaluable against Allen, who requires other scrutiny astatine each times. The Bills made usage of that skillset implicit the years, and it peculiarly came successful useful for what mightiness beryllium the astir memorable infinitesimal of Johnson’s vocation frankincense far. Late successful a 2022 Bills crippled against the Kansas City Chiefs, helium feigned arsenic a spy against Patrick Mahomes earlier dropping backmost and nabbing a game-winning interception. He’d surely emotion to marque a play that impactful against his long-time teammate successful Allen.
Big Number: 5
The Raiders managed lone 5 hits, including 2 sacks, past week connected Patriots backmost Drake Maye, who carved them up for 374 yards and 4 touchdowns. They indispensable marque Allen much uncomfortable successful bid to person a accidental to bushed the Bills. The deficiency of unit was a large drop-off, arsenic the Raiders had been averaging a decent 9.5 backmost hits per crippled implicit the archetypal 4 weeks of the season. New England went all-in connected slowing Crosby, double-teaming him connected astir each play. It worked, arsenic Crosby turned successful by acold his slightest impactful show of the year. Crosby was credited with 1 deed connected Maye, arsenic were Johnson, Koonce, antiaircraft tackle Jonah Laulu and borderline rusher Kwity Paye. No 1 deed him twice. Koonce was the closest to providing accordant pressure, and finished with a sack, but the wide squad effort was acold from adequate. The Raiders could specifically usage much retired of Paye, who’s been a non-factor since a two-sack debut against the Dolphins. He should basal to payment the astir from the excessive attraction Crosby is receiving. It’s a presumption Paye raved astir pursuing the Dolphins game, but 1 helium hasn’t been capable to capitalize connected ever since.
Best Bet (4-1): James Cook nether 93.5 rushing yards
Rob Leonard encountered his archetypal existent failing arsenic a caller antiaircraft coordinator successful giving up 536 full yards and 8.1 yards per play to the Patriots. But springiness him a pass. It happens to everyone. He’s already shown capable for fans to consciousness bullish astir his quality to crippled program and strategy going forward. Against the Bills, his task is going to beryllium slowing their tally game. Leonard volition effort to unit the Bills’ depleted and underwhelming receiving corps to bushed the Raiders. They conscionable mightiness beryllium capable, astatine slightest with Allen’s guiding hand, but they’re going to person to beryllium it. Look for the Raiders to stack the container and stress not giving up explosive runs to Cook, the benignant the Chiefs excessively easy recovered 2 weeks agone with Kenneth Walker. Without a mates explosive runs, getting to conscionable abbreviated of 100 yards is simply a astir intolerable task.
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