A Week 1 win was all but gift wrapped for the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football after the Jets lost Aaron Rodgers on their very first drive of the game. Josh Allen found a way to lose to Zach Wilson, 22-16, in overtime. That loss leaves the Bills at 0-1, but the loss of Aaron Rodgers may make their path to a division title a bit easier.
The Las Vegas Raiders may have the toughest path of any team to a division title in the AFC West. However, after one week, Josh McDaniels and the Raiders are the only 1-0 team in the division and sit atop the Chiefs, Chargers, and Broncos, who the Raiders beat.
For more Week 2 picks, check out BetSided NFL betting analyst Iain MacMillan’s best bet for every game on the slate here!
In Week 2 of the NFL season we get to find out what was real in Week 1 and what was an aberration. Are the Bills in for a rough season? Are the Raiders a real contender? We’ll get into the odds, but first check out this promo from the FanDuel Sportsbook while it still lasts.
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Now, let's get to my pick.
Raiders vs. Bills odds, spread and total
Bills vs. Raiders Betting Trends
- Bills are 0-1 ATS
- The UNDER is 1-0 in Bills games
- Raiders are 1-0 ATS
- The UNDER is 1-0 in Raiders games
- Raiders are 10-4 ATS in their last 14 games against the Bills
- The UNDER is 6-1 in the Raiders' last seven road games
- Raiders are 2-7 ATS in their last nine games against AFC East opponents
- The OVER is 7-0 in the last seven meetings between these two teams
- Bills are 1-5 ATS in their last six games against AFC opponents
Raiders vs. Bills injury reports
Raiders injury report
- Chandler Jones - LB - Questionable (personal)
- Trevon Moehrig - S - Questionable (thumb)
- Jakobi Meyers - WR - Questionable (concussion)
- Brandon Facyson - CB - Out indefinitely (shin)
Bills injury report
- Von Miller - LB - out indefinitely (knee)
Raiders vs. Bills how to watch
- Date: Sunday, September 17
- Time: 1:00 PM EST
- Venue: Highmark Stadium
- How to Watch (TV): CBS
- Raiders Record: 1-0
- Bills Record: 0-1
Raiders vs. Bills key players to watch
Raiders
Josh Jacobs: Over the offseason, it wasn’t clear that Josh Jacobs would be joining the Raiders because of a dispute over his contract, but he was back in uniform in Week 1. He had a rough go of it against the Broncos, only running for 48 yards on 19 carries after leading the NFL in rushing a year ago. Last season he averaged 4.9 yards per carry and 97.2 yards per game.
Bills
Josh Allen: Allen did not look like an MVP-caliber quarterback in Week 1 against the Jets. Even after Aaron Rodgers went out with an Achilles injury, Allen found a way to lose the game to Zach Wilson. He finished with three interceptions and lost a fumble in the 22-16 overtime loss. He completed 26/49 passes for 236 yards.
Raiders vs. Bills prediction and pick
With Josh Jacobs and Jimmy Garoppolo in Las Vegas, you would expect the team to be a run-first offense, but in Week 1 that wasn’t really the case. The Raiders only ran for 61 yards and passed for 200. Garoppolo was accurate, completing 20/26 passes, with nine of his completions and both touchdowns going to newly acquired Jakobi Meyers. Meyers is listed as questionable with a concussion after sustaining a scary hit late in the game on Sunday afternoon.
Regardless of the status of Meyers, the Raiders will want to run the ball much more this week against Buffalo. The Bills allowed 172 rushing yards to the Jets in a game where there was very little threat of the pass. Last season, the Bills ranked fourth in rushing yards allowed, but were outside the top 10 in yards per carry.
The Raiders might be able to run on Buffalo because their rush defense looked much weaker than last season without Tremaine Edmunds at inside linebacker, but the Bills should be able to throw on Vegas.
Josh Allen was terrible in Week 1. He made poor decisions and held onto the ball too long against a great defensive line. The Raiders don’t have that type of D-line, though Maxx Crosby is great. In 2022 the Raiders ranked 30th in sacks, only accumulating 1.6 per game. They sacked Russell Wilson twice last week.
Josh Allen is going to have a lot more time to dissect the Las Vegas secondary and will be more comfortable in Week 2. I expect the Buffalo offense to get back on track, but I don’t feel as confident in their defense, so I’ll take the over.
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Game odds refresh periodically and are subject to change