Bills-Raiders: Buffalo Looks To Go 3-0 Against Ravaged Raiders

Last year, no one cared about the Buffalo Bills. Fans were looking everywhere for respect and weren't getting it. With 17 players on IR, Dick Jauron salvaged the season the best he could and ended it with a 7-9 record.

This year is different. The entire squad is healthy (with the exception of Angelo Crowell), they have new faces on defense, a new offensive coordinator in Turk Schonert, and, most importantly, the Bills are 2-0.

Like many Bills fans, I'm looking for the Bills to be 3-0 this Sunday, but I don't think the Raiders are going to be a bunch of pushovers. The Raiders are good at run blocking and McFadden looked pretty good running the ball last week.

They will most likely rely on the running game, with Michael Bush and McFadden to take pressure off a struggling JaMarcus Russell, who will be executing most of his passes quickly and on the move.

The Bills often easily get killed with quick screens and dump passes, which I'm sure we will see a lot of behind that shaky Raiders offensive line.

I think Buffalo should come out similar to the way they did in Jacksonville last week. They came out throwing the ball, but mixed in the running game very effectively.

Behind that large offensive line, Trent Edwards has had a sufficient amount of time to read the field and effectively choose the open receiver. He has been extremely accurate so far this season and looks like a veteran already.

He's currently in the top 10 in many QB categories this season and is one of the few starting quarterbacks who hasn't thrown an interception yet.

The Raiders haven't done very much blitzing and have relied on their front four to apply the pressure. Unless the Raiders change their defensive game plan this week, the Bills should use more four-wide sets this week, since Edwards will most likely have time to throw.

The Raiders' defense isn't bad at all, and the Bills will not be able to dominate them like they would against a team like the Rams.

The matchup between Lee Evans and DeAngelo Hall should prove interesting. The Bills have been moving Evans around lately and if Hall ends up on Evans, it could spell disaster for the Raiders' defense.

So far, Hall has been a bust for the Raiders. He has looked like a rookie among veterans this season, and he has constantly looked out of place and very far off the receiver.

Buffalo's defense has improved immensely because of one man: Marcus Stroud. Getting two sacks in the season opener, Stroud has been simply dominant in every game he has played this season. Having his presence in the middle forces the opposing line to constantly double-team him, which leaves the rest of the defensive linemen in one-on-one match-ups.

Stroud is known as a run-stuffer, but he has been very disruptive in the passing game by collapsing the pocket.

Kawika Mitchell also looks to be a solid pick-up, and CB Ashton Youboty has blossomed into something special this year. The rest of the crew still looks great, and Oakland should have a hard time playing against these guys on their own turf.

Many have been saying that Marshawn Lynch will have a big game this week, but with second-string running back Fred Jackson getting some of the load, I actually think Edwards will have the bigger day.

Buffalo's special-teams play is important in every game. I expect either Parrish, McKelvin, or McGee to have a spectacular return in this game.

I hate to make scoring predictions, but with Buffalo's new-look offense, top-10 defense, and deadly special teams going up against the Raiders, who have traveled across the country, I'm predicting the Bills win this game, 27-9.

Go Bills!