Raiders-Bills: The Matchup

Fair warning, the pic above is from Oakland. The Raiders won't be playing with home field for this game.

Well, what a difference a week makes. Oakland, who was supposed to be blown out by KC, decided not to read the paper, went out, and took care of matters in a hurry.

First off, they took care of one starting QB, Damon Huard. They bottled up Larry Johnson, holding him to 22 yards rushing. And the running game that many thought wouldn't carry the team, did, with Darren McFadden leading the NFL in rushing yardage.

Next up on the docket for the Raiders is the Buffalo Bills.

Now, two things need to be said. First of all, Buffalo is in no way anything close to the Kansas City Chiefs. While Kansas City is now 0-2, and listless, Buffalo is 2-0, and coming off an impressive win against the Jaguars, beating them on the road, 20-16.

The second aspect isn't that they are winning by blowing teams out...It's by doing the little things. Marshawn Lynch, for example, hasn't topped the century mark in a game yet. Trent Edwards hasn't thrown a pick this season. And the defense is holding teams down, big time. Sacks are up and only one fumble to play off.

In short, the Bills are playing smart football.

Head to head, Oakland has had it's share of good games. Even in the doldrums, Oakland has had a good run, winning matchups dating back to 1999. And overall, Oakland has a 19-15 record.

Some of the keys, for Oakland, will stay the same. Getting pressure on Trent Edwards. If you can get him rattled, blitzing often, you can force him into mistakes. Stopping the run helps, too. Marshawn Lynch serves in two cases, either as an inside runner, or an on-the-fly receiver.

The receiving game in Buffalo, while not scary, contains flashes of fun. Lee Evans, for example, has 179 yards so far, with only eight receptions.

Right now, the only thing that tilts this matchup is going to be the play of JaMarcus Russell. To date, while Russell isn't blowing away the league, he has played smart football. No interceptions and only one fumble after a play that should have been called pass interference...And a need for Ronald Curry needs to get some stickum in a hurry.

Lastly, news from Oakland is leaning on McFadden playing Sunday, along with Michael Bush. It's doubtful that Fargas will be ready to play.

I'll go for a light prediction...Hey, Sunday's my birthday.

Oakland wins, 21-10.

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