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Bills at Raiders: Game preview, odds, prediction

By Brad Weiss

Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) prepares to take a snap against the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports
Dec 21, 2014; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) prepares to take a snap against the Buffalo Bills in the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. The Raiders defeated the Bills 26-24. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports /
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The Buffalo Bills will head west on Sunday, as the take on the Oakland Raiders in a huge AFC matchup at the Oakland Coliseum.

In an AFC showdown on Sunday, the Buffalo Bills will travel to the west coast to take on the Oakland Raiders. Buffalo is coming off of their second win a row, as they manhandled the Jacksonville Jaguars this past weekend. That win follows a road win against Cincinnati, in a game where they defense played very well.

That defense is going to have a tall order in Week 13, as Derek Carr and company are one of the hottest teams in football. The Raiders won their ninth game of the season last week, beating Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers at home. The win clinched the first winning season for the franchise since 2001.

The Raiders season looked to be over for about 15 minutes during the game against the Panthers, as Carr dislocated the pinky on his throwing hand. In a gruesome injury, the quarterback pulled away from Rodney Hudson too soon on the snap, and the ball mangled his little finger. He went to the locker room for a possession, emerged with a glove on the hand, and proceed to lead the Raiders to a late win.

This week, expect Bills head coach Rex Ryan to go after that throwing hand, as he will likely be blitzing Carr more than usual. The Bills will also look to keep the Raiders off the field by taking advantage of their top-ranked run game, which got a huge effort from LeSean McCoy this past weekend. If they can run the ball and keep Carr off of the field, this one could be a one that goes down to the wire.

Odds

Line: Oakland (-3)
Over/Under: 48

Carr’s pinky is fine, and the third-year signal caller was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. One starter who did not participate is cornerback D.J. Hayden, though he has not been playing well this season. The big test for Oakland this weekend will be containing McCoy and quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who got his No. 1 target back last weekend in Sammy Watkins.

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Buffalo is making a long trip to Oakland, and that should play to the Raiders advantage. The Silver and Black have actually been a better team on the road this season, but they should be able to take care of business on Sunday. A loss to the Raiders may signal the end of the Bills chances of making the playoffs, so expect Rex Ryan to throw everything he has at Oakland on Sunday. It wont matter, and the Raiders will come away with win No. 10 on the season.

Prediction: Raiders 30, Bills 24

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