Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. Buffalo Bills
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders face a tough road matchup on Sunday versus the Buffalo Bills. Here are five matchups to watch when the Raiders take on the Bills.
After a thrilling one-point win over the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday Night Football, it’s all about the Oakland Raiders getting ready for another tough game against the Buffalo Bills on Sunday. Kickoff from New Era Field in Orchard Park will be at 10:00 a.m. PT, 1:00 p.m. ET on Oct. 29.
The Raiders improved to 3-4 on the season with a big win over arch rival Kansas City last week. Buffalo would be a playoff team if the season ended today. The Bills are 4-2 and are playing an excellent, physical brand of football for new head coach Sean McDermott.
Buffalo has been a tough place to play even when the Bills have only been mediocre in recent years. Now that they have a good team, it might be an even harder path to victory for the Raiders. The weather forecast in Western New York predicts rain and the temperature in the high 40s. An early start time and rain showers could lead to a sloppy mess of a football game on Sunday.
There are some great players on both teams, so let’s take a few minutes to look at some of the best man-on-man matchups this Week 8 game between the Raiders and the Bills will have to offer.
Michael Crabtree vs. TreDavious White
Passing the football might be problematic for both teams in potentially bad weather. Yes, both Derek Carr and Tyrod Taylor can sling it, but ball security is paramount over everything in this game. If these two quarterbacks do look to pass, expect it to be of the short-to-medium variety.
One matchup that we need to pay attention to in the receiving game will be Raiders receiver Michael Crabtree on Bills rookie cornerback TreDavious White. Crabtree is the most reliable pass catcher in the Oakland receiving corps. Buffalo traded back in the first round with Kansas City to draft White out of LSU.
Crabtree has a knack for making touchdown grabs in the Raiders offense. It seems that the Bills hit it out of the park with the White selection, as he has been an incredible rookie cornerback in this league. White could track Crabtree on Sunday afternoon, but will definitely be using man coverage on him in nickel packages to defend three-wide receiver sets.
Crabtree will be able to make a few big plays on White, as he usually rises to the occasion against better cover corners. White will leave an indelible impression on the Raiders, as the productive Bills cornerback that the Raiders took often-injured Gareon Conley over.