The Buffalo Bills are coming off a hard-fought win against the Los Angeles Rams in Week 5, but things aren't getting much easier. The Las Vegas Raiders are coming off an ugly loss against the New England Patriots, so it might be easy to underestimate them, but they have some talent.
The Raiders have been better than many expected and are getting Pro Bowl-level performances from several players. Below, we're going to discuss the players that the Bills really need to key in on for the Week 6 matchup in Las Vegas.
Raiders players who could make life miserable for Buffalo Bills
Brock Bowers
What's left to be said about Brock Bowers? When healthy, he's one of the best playmakers in the NFL. Despite missing the first two games of the season, he's second among tight ends in receiving yards.
He's the one player on the Raiders' offense who is capable of wrecking the game for the Bills. Notably, the Raiders have actually been lining him up as a slot receiver more often than a traditional tight end. No matter who the Bills put on him, he's going to make his fair share of plays. It's about mitigating the impact of those plays.
The Bills aren't going to be caught off guard by Bowers, but they may want to think about double-teaming him often, as the Raiders don't have the wide receiver talent to make Buffalo pay.
Maxx Crosby
It has been a relatively quiet season for defensive end Maxx Crosby this season. The star pass rusher only has 2.0 sacks in five games. However, he's still a menace to an offensive line. He is currently third in the NFL with 21 pressures, according to Pro Football Reference.
Josh Allen is a hard quarterback to take down, but he has been sacked 10 times this season. Crosby has sacked Allen once in his career and is going to be eager to get another one. The best chance the Raiders have to win is getting after Allen. Crosby will be heavily motivated to have a big game.
Kirk Cousins
Due to his lackluster tenure with the Atlanta Falcons, nobody thought Kirk Cousins had any juice left in the tank. That's why he sat in free agency for weeks before the Raiders signed him. So far, he has been one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
He's currently second in the league with 12 touchdown passes and has more passing yards than Allen, Patrick Mahomes, Brock Purdy and Drake Maye. He can't move much, but he's playing some of the best football of his career. Even with a suspect offensive line, Cousins has only been sacked eight times. He could be a problem for a Bills defense that hasn't been able to stop anybody this season.
Nakobe Dean
Nakobe Dean is looking like one of the best free agent signings of the offseason. The Patriots game was rough for everybody on the Raiders' defense, but prior to that, Dean was playing like an All-Pro player.
He's the leader of the Raiders' defense, so he's not going to be happy with how the defense played in Week 5. He'll have a major chip on his shoulder against the Bills. With Allen rushing as well as he has this season, Dean is going to be all over the quarterback.
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