Buffalo Bills: Raiders writer provides insight on upcoming Week 4 game

We had a chance to talk with Brad Weiss at JustBlogBaby.com to get his thoughts on the Buffalo Bills matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend.

The Buffalo Bills are about to hit the road to play their first game in Las Vegas in franchise history. I had a chance to talk with Brad Weiss, who is the site expert at JustBlogBaby.com, to get his thoughts on this game and some more insight on the Las Vegas Raiders.

Question 1: It seems like the Las Vegas Raiders are dealing with more than their fair share of injuries, especially on offense. Who do you think is the biggest loss and what player could step up and have a big game against the Bills?

There is no doubt that the Raiders have been decimated by injuries, as they will likely be without their top two wide receivers, and two starters along their offensive line. The biggest loss, however, does not come from either of those position groups, but it is in fact middle linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski. He has been missing for a few weeks, and his loss was the deciding factor in their loss against the New England Patriots, as the Raiders could not stop the run. He could be back against the Buffalo Bills.

In terms of who could step up and have a big game, that would be cornerback Trayvon Mullen, who showed himself to be every bit the CB1 against New England. He has allowed only five catches all season long and will draw a tough matchup with Stefon Diggs. If he can shut down Diggs, and the Raiders can get some pressure, it could force Allen into mistakes.

Question 2: What are some early thoughts on how Derek Carr has done? It seemed like this was a make or break season for him.

I believe that Derek Carr is having a fine season, as he has yet to throw an interception, and heading into the Week 3 matchup, looked like the Carr from 2016. He is distributing the ball well, getting everybody involved, and has not made too many mistakes. The narrative that it is a make or break season is really a national one, as the team has remained steadfast that he is their guy. He will be without his top wideouts in Week 4, so it should be interesting, but Raiders fans should be happy with what they are getting from him.

Question 3: The addition of Cory Littleton was expected to be a big addition to their defense but he has struggled. Why do you think that is?

It seems like every time the Raiders get a big-name free agent for the defense, he struggles in the Silver and Black. He is playing in a new system and has not gotten going, but there have been good signs. He has been reading plays better but is struggling with tackling, missing seven already after missing only five a year ago. He will be fine, and once this defense starts gelling, they have enough young talent to look more like the first half team Sunday, and not the second.

Question 4: One of the injuries was to first round pick Damon Arnette. How confident are you about the Raiders secondary being able to slow this Bills passing attack?

In terms of the Raiders being able to stop the pass, I am never confident, especially against a quarterback with 1,000 yards and ten touchdowns already. Like I said before, Mullen should be able to do a good job on Diggs, but guys like Nevin Lawson, Isaiah Johnson, and Keisean Nixon are all wildcards. In addition, our safety play was atrocious last week against New England, so basically at this point, it is cross your fingers every time Josh Allen drops back to pass.

Question 5: What do you think will be the key to this game and do you have a final score prediction?

The key of the game for the Raiders will be finding a way to get Darren Waller involved on offense, as he had only two catches last week. On defense, they need to get off the field on third down, something they struggled with against the Pats. If they can get Allen to make some mistakes, they will be able to stay in this one and keep it close enough to come away with the victory. If Allen has time to throw, it could be another long afternoon.

Unfortunately, I like the Bills to come away with a 30-24 victory on Sunday.