A battle between two AFC contenders took place Sunday afternoon as the Buffalo Bills made the trip to Las Vegas to face the Raiders. Both are off to a terrific start early in the season. The Bills headed into the matchup with a perfect record through three games, while the Raiders headed in with a record of 2-1.
With both teams ranking inside the top ten in the National Football League in points and both quarterbacks garnering MVP conversations, the game lived up to expectations. The Bills and Raiders combined for over 700 yards of total offense in a nail-biting 30-23 victory for Buffalo.
First Half
Once again, similar to previous games this season, Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense were able to drive the ball down the field on the opening possession. A 26-yard touchdown pass to rookie wide receiver Gabriel Davis capped off a 70-yard scoring drive to give Buffalo an early 7-0 lead. After a long field goal by Las Vegas to cut the lead to 7-3, featuring a 16-yard catch on 3rd and 11 by former Bill Zay Jones, Allen responded back.
By mixing up the run and the pass, the third-year signal-caller was able to lead the team down the field and find Cole Beasley on an 11-yard strike to give the Bills a commanding 14-3 lead with 14:48 left in the second quarter. The Raiders were able to work the ball into Buffalo territory. However, an illegal formation penalty nullified a 49-yard strike from Derek Carr to Nelson Agholor, causing them once again to settle for a 39-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson to cut the lead to 14-6.
The Bills were forced to settle for a field goal after an eight-yard completion from Allen to Stefon Diggs. Down 13 with just over four minutes to go in the opening half, the Raiders would score as time expired. By spreading the ball around on the drive, Carr was able to find tight end, Darren Waller, three times, ultimately capping it off with a three-yard touchdown strike to longtime Cowboys’ tight end Jason Witten to cut the lead to 17-13 heading into halftime.
Second Half
Despite receiving the ball to begin the second half, the Raiders would settle for their third field goal of the day to cut the lead down to just one. After the teams traded punts on their next possessions, Allen would orchestrate his third scoring drive of the day, as a 15-yard dart to John Brown on first and ten from the Vegas 15-yard line would set up the Bills at the 1-yard line. Buffalo would add six more to their lead after finishing the drive with a one-yard touchdown plunge and missed extra point.
Turning the tides after halftime, it was Sean McDermott‘s defense making a play as the newly acquired Josh Norman would strip star running back Josh Jacobs to set his team up with the ball at their own 33-yard line. Allen would find Diggs on a 49-yard pass play to set up a two-yard touchdown run by running back Devin Singletary. Buffalo’s defense would force the Raiders into back to back turnovers on their next two possessions, setting the Bills up to capture their 4th win of the season. This is the first time Buffalo has started 4-0 since 2008.
Highlights
Josh Norman with the forced fumble and recovery in his first game with the @BuffaloBills! #BillsMafia @J_No24
#StefonDiggs is The ALPHA WR #Billsmafia so desperately needed since Eric Moulds and Stevie Johnson. This play is special because right before this big play, another big play was made by Josh Norman, forced fumble…. Two ALPHA dogs making plays. 4-0 #Bills #BuffaloFanatics pic.twitter.com/WwF1fEbShy
— Rico🎙️ (@REALRICO_BF) October 5, 2020
📺: #BUFvsLV on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/024EzSafTB pic.twitter.com/INDJqWjEvO— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2020
.@DerekCarrQB floats it to Nelson Agholor to pull the @Raiders within 7. #RaiderNation
📺: #BUFvsLV on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/024EzSafTB pic.twitter.com/XmlbNpvWAq— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2020
.@JasonWitten‘s first TD with the @Raiders! #RaiderNation
📺: #BUFvsLV on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/024EzSafTB pic.twitter.com/AF4EKJzVHe— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2020
.@Bease11 with the acrobatic TD grab! #BillsMafia
📺: #BUFvsLV on CBS
📱: NFL app // Yahoo Sports app: https://t.co/024EzSafTB pic.twitter.com/WMx02Vqwo5— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2020
— NFL (@NFL) October 4, 2020
The Raiders will look to bounce back after two straight losses in a battle with the Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs next Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium. The Bills will look to continue their hot start in a matchup on the road against the undefeated Tennessee Titans. This game is subject to change as an announcement from the league has yet to be made following the COVID-19 outbreak inside the Titans’ facilities.
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Main Image Credit: Embed from Getty Images
