Oakland Raiders: 5 matchups to watch vs. Buffalo Bills
By John Buhler
There will be a trend in this game. It will be about winning in the trenches, perhaps more than any game than the Raiders have played in up to this point in 2017. Buffalo likes to run the football and punch you in the mouth on defense.
One matchup that is certainly fascinating will be the one between Raiders center Rodney Hudson and Buffalo defensive tackle Marcell Dareus. Since arriving in Oakland two years ago, Hudson has brought great stability to the Oakland offensive line. He has emerged as one of the top-five centers in all of football.
Dareus is a talented, albeit frustrating player for the Bills. They did take him No. 3 overall in the 2011 NFL Draft after Cam Newton and Von Miller. Dareus came into Buffalo out of Alabama with so much hype. While he is immensely skilled on the defensive interior, the Bills have tried to trade him due to the coaching regime change.
Regardless of it the Bills do move Dareus before the deadline, we have to expect him to play well. This might be the best Bills team he has been on to date. If he’s not happy in Buffalo, then playing well versus Oakland will only increase his trade value. For Hudson, he has to be ready for anything.