NFL
By Randall Slifer
The Buffalo Bills pulled off an OT win at SoFi Stadium in an NFL week full of fantastic finishes. The Bills stay on the West Coast as they face the Las Vegas Raiders before their bye week. The Raiders are one of the most surprising early teams, going 3-2, and are competing in the AFC West. They lost to their two toughest foes, so are they legit, or are they cosplaying right now?
The Las Vegas Raiders roster has some solid names, and they spent big last offseason while retaining Maxx Crosby. Let’s dive into how the Buffalo Bills can go 5-1 before entering their bye week:
Can the defense create more turnovers?
The Bills vs. Rams score may not have shown that the defensive backs played better, but they did. It seems like the outside corner combination has been figured out. Davison Igbinosun and Christian Benford got good reps on both sides; Igbinosun’s man coverage looked strong against tough receivers.
Now, Buffalo is going from Puka Nacua and Davante Adams to Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker. Now, Brock Bowers may go down as one of the most talented tight ends ever to play the position. He will be a tall task, but the linebackers and nickel defender will have to limit Bowers. The issue is that the linebackers look like the weaker link compared with the defensive backs right now.
The Buffalo Bills only need to limit Bowers to touchdowns, not necessarily yards. Red zone defense has been one of Buffalo’s weakest situational spots. Opposing teams have scored on 19 of 23 red-zone trips! The main issue is the defense’s inability to create turnovers, particularly interceptions. The defensive backs are still a work in progress, so Buffalo may need to rely on the defensive line to create off-target throws or fumbles.
The Buffalo Bills may see Fernando Mendoza, but it still sounds like Kirk Cousins will play. This will be the 2nd week in a row the Bills face a non-mobile quarterback. The Rams respect Buffalo’s defensive line and got the ball out short and quick. Against Buffalo, Stafford’s average depth of target was the lowest of the year (6.9 yards) and the 2nd quickest to get the ball out (2.55 seconds to throw).
The Las Vegas Raiders may run the same offensive game plan to keep Buffalo’s defensive line from impacting the game and to get the ball out quickly. How can the defensive line create interceptions? When Kirk Cousins knows he’ll face heavy pressure, he’ll try to find a 1-on-1 and let the pass-catcher make a play on the ball. This needs to be a Cole Bishop coming-out party.
Cole Bishop has struggled to adapt to JJ Leonhard’s system. He is playing too fast, and he needs to process the system better. Jim Leonhard should call some heavy pressures and rely on the defensive backs to cover some of these weak wide receivers. Cole Bishop can follow Kirk Cousins’ pre-snap motions, let his eyes creep to the side, and collect his first turnover of the season. This could jump-start Bishop’s season and spark his game.
Will James Cook get limited touches?
Is James Cook the Josh Allen of the running backs? James Cook is a top-5 running back and the 2nd most influential skill-position player on the roster. James Cook is good enough to excuse his fumbles at times, because what does the lineup look like without him? Without a running game, the defense can sit in a shell and cover Buffalo’s wide receivers, who struggle to separate in man coverage (except hurt DJ Moore).
Overtime fumbles are a different breed, though. If Greg Rousseau hadn’t blocked that field goal, James Cook would face a harsher penalty. Should Buffalo limit his touches? The Raiders are allowing 140 rushing yards per game at 5.2 yards per carry. The Buffalo Bills offensive line will be salivating at the chance to block for a full 4 quarters.
James Cook has had over 20 touches in three games, and you could spread out 15 touches throughout this game and still be impactful. One savior for the Buffalo offense against the Rams was the quick-passing, screen game. Ray Davis and Ty Johnson combined for 5 targets, 5 catches, and 103 yards receiving. These catches came at crucial times when the passing offense was not looking great.
Unfortunately, DJ Moore may play this week. He would be better off sitting until after the bye week. Josh Allen needs DJ Moore at 100% for the rest of the season. DJ and James Cook are vital to reaching the Super Bowl, and limiting DJ in games doesn’t help. Ray Davis, Ty Johnson, and Khalil Shakir can become extensions of the run game and make it easier for this offense to move the chains.
The Buffalo Bills reverted to heavy 13 personnel against the Rams. It was very successful in the run game, and really opened up the passing game as well. The Raiders will play heavy man coverage, and motion and quick passes can give Shakir, Johnson, and Davis advantageous 1-on-1s with blockers in front of them. The Raiders will be forced to bite down, and their defensive backfield isn’t as good as the Ravens’. This will give Josh Allen a chance to push the ball downfield and get the passing game going (with, dare I say, KEON COLEMAN?).
The Buffalo Bills take on the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium this Sunday at 4:25 EST/ 3:25 CST. Vegas favors the Buffalo Bills by 5.5 points and an over/under of 53.5. I think it is a good thing the Buffalo Bills stayed on the West Coast for the 2 weeks. This team needed to be hip-to-hip for a couple of weeks to figure out their deficiencies. This week against the Raiders will prove whether they took the time to work out the kinks everyone is seeing. As always, go Bills.
