Ingtar33
10-02-2002, 01:30 PM
2-2... I'll let that sink in for everyone. Who would have thought that this team would have been 2-2 after four games? I recall, right after the schedule came out remarking that if the Bills were even just 2-3 after the first five it would be a miracle. Now we sit, on the edge of a precipice, on one side lies the possibility of going 4-2 into our game with Miami... probably tied for second place in the AFCE... and on the other lies the possibility that we will "only" meet what I thought was an unrealistic preseason expectation of 2-3. The frightening thing is how close this team has been to both a perfect 4-0 record and how close we've been to a dismal 0-4 record. Well, anyway, back to the matter at hand, the Oakland Raiders. This preview will follow the format of the last few weeks with an analysis of the matchups and a prediction for all you gamblers out there. So far I'm doing quite well with a 3-1 record against the spread and a 4-0 record against the over-under.
When the Bills have the ball and are...
Running: Well thus far the Bills O has had success rushing the ball at home, continuing their week one success with a very solid week four outing against a very tough Bears run defense. The Bills young O-Line is showing signs of improvement every week, and in order for the bills to have success on the ground this upcoming week, they will need to play even better against the Raider's front seven. Thus far this year the Raider's D has allowed only 57y/game rushing... Yet all is not lost for the Bills ground game, as those impressive stats do not portray the fact that the Raiders have forced teams to abandon the run by getting substantial leads early against their opponents. The Bills O should be able to move the ball on the ground against the Raiders as their D-Line and LBers are fairly slow, giving the Bills O-Line the type of fight it can win... a strength on strength battle in the trenches.
Passing: What more can be said about Bledsoe and the passing attack? Every Sunday it seems as if Gilbride's unit is three steps ahead of the opposing D. With Bledsoe and the receiving corps as hot as they've been they have been nearly unstoppable. The matchup looks to be favorable for the passing attack as C.Woodson is out for this game, which will move a 4th CB onto the field against J.Reed. The Raiders D has gotten very little pressure on the QB this season. Furthermore I have detected a definite shift in D strategies against the Bills, as teams are blitzing a lot less and shifting to more 3 deep coverage, in a, so-far, futile attempt to limit the big plays. Look for Oakland to do the same thing as this whole season they have been very reluctant to blitz much.
When the Raiders have the ball and are...
Running: The key to stopping the Raiders lies not with Jerry Rice or Tim Brown, but with Charlie Garner. Thus far he has been the wild card, or lynch pin in the entire Oakland O. He has been used to great effect in both the run and pass game, making him the must stop man on the team. Without Garner they wouldn't score at will (as he opens a lot up for their WR's), forcing the defense to respect his running and catching abilities. The Raider O line is not that good, and may be one of the weakest parts to this team, as they have had very limited success running the ball against a determined front seven, with most of their ground success being against nickel and dime defenses.
Passing: Every Bills fan must, by now, be sweating at the thought of J.Rice or T.Brown being covered by Chris Watson. I know I am. These two ageless wonders seem to have found a fountain of youth, forever keeping them at a spry young age of about 33. The hope for the Bills D lies in the pass rush, as R.Gannon has been beaten mercilessly behind that poor O-line throughout this season, with only his legs and ball smarts keeping him from being dumped more than the 9 times he has so far. If the Bills pass rush cannot get to Gannon, then expect one heck of a shootout on Sunday as he will make the Bills secondary look quite poor.
Conclusion:
So far the Bills have shown the ability to play with everyone in this league, but they haven't yet faced a team as complete as the Raiders. Not only is this team strong on Offense, but their D has made up for their sub par play with something ours hasn't yet... turnovers. With the Raider D causing so many turnovers our O will have to be extra careful with the ball, making it imperative that we get a solid running game going as the Raiders are far too good to beaten like Min was two weeks ago. Throw in the excellence of the Raiders special teams, and I find myself fearing for our chances. We can win this Sunday, if Bledsoe continues his superior play, if the O-line can run the ball, if we don't turn it over more than the Raiders, if our special teams can limit the big plays, if our D can shut down Garner, and finally if our D can get to Gannon. Look for the Bills to prove they belong with the NFL's elite however, there are too many IFs for me to pick the Bills this Sunday, Raiders win 33-32.
When the Bills have the ball and are...
Running: Well thus far the Bills O has had success rushing the ball at home, continuing their week one success with a very solid week four outing against a very tough Bears run defense. The Bills young O-Line is showing signs of improvement every week, and in order for the bills to have success on the ground this upcoming week, they will need to play even better against the Raider's front seven. Thus far this year the Raider's D has allowed only 57y/game rushing... Yet all is not lost for the Bills ground game, as those impressive stats do not portray the fact that the Raiders have forced teams to abandon the run by getting substantial leads early against their opponents. The Bills O should be able to move the ball on the ground against the Raiders as their D-Line and LBers are fairly slow, giving the Bills O-Line the type of fight it can win... a strength on strength battle in the trenches.
Passing: What more can be said about Bledsoe and the passing attack? Every Sunday it seems as if Gilbride's unit is three steps ahead of the opposing D. With Bledsoe and the receiving corps as hot as they've been they have been nearly unstoppable. The matchup looks to be favorable for the passing attack as C.Woodson is out for this game, which will move a 4th CB onto the field against J.Reed. The Raiders D has gotten very little pressure on the QB this season. Furthermore I have detected a definite shift in D strategies against the Bills, as teams are blitzing a lot less and shifting to more 3 deep coverage, in a, so-far, futile attempt to limit the big plays. Look for Oakland to do the same thing as this whole season they have been very reluctant to blitz much.
When the Raiders have the ball and are...
Running: The key to stopping the Raiders lies not with Jerry Rice or Tim Brown, but with Charlie Garner. Thus far he has been the wild card, or lynch pin in the entire Oakland O. He has been used to great effect in both the run and pass game, making him the must stop man on the team. Without Garner they wouldn't score at will (as he opens a lot up for their WR's), forcing the defense to respect his running and catching abilities. The Raider O line is not that good, and may be one of the weakest parts to this team, as they have had very limited success running the ball against a determined front seven, with most of their ground success being against nickel and dime defenses.
Passing: Every Bills fan must, by now, be sweating at the thought of J.Rice or T.Brown being covered by Chris Watson. I know I am. These two ageless wonders seem to have found a fountain of youth, forever keeping them at a spry young age of about 33. The hope for the Bills D lies in the pass rush, as R.Gannon has been beaten mercilessly behind that poor O-line throughout this season, with only his legs and ball smarts keeping him from being dumped more than the 9 times he has so far. If the Bills pass rush cannot get to Gannon, then expect one heck of a shootout on Sunday as he will make the Bills secondary look quite poor.
Conclusion:
So far the Bills have shown the ability to play with everyone in this league, but they haven't yet faced a team as complete as the Raiders. Not only is this team strong on Offense, but their D has made up for their sub par play with something ours hasn't yet... turnovers. With the Raider D causing so many turnovers our O will have to be extra careful with the ball, making it imperative that we get a solid running game going as the Raiders are far too good to beaten like Min was two weeks ago. Throw in the excellence of the Raiders special teams, and I find myself fearing for our chances. We can win this Sunday, if Bledsoe continues his superior play, if the O-line can run the ball, if we don't turn it over more than the Raiders, if our special teams can limit the big plays, if our D can shut down Garner, and finally if our D can get to Gannon. Look for the Bills to prove they belong with the NFL's elite however, there are too many IFs for me to pick the Bills this Sunday, Raiders win 33-32.