5 reasons Oakland Raiders will beat Buffalo Bills
By John Buhler
NaVorro Bowman has had more time to acclimate to new team
While he played a fantastic first game with the Raiders last week, inside linebacker NaVorro Bowman has finally had a week plus to get acclimated to his new team. Bowman had spent his entire NFL career with the San Francisco 49ers before joining the Raiders earlier this month.
Oakland had a major need at inside linebacker due to injuries and overall inexperience. A youth movement in San Francisco allowed the 49ers organization to feel comfortable about parting ways with Bowman, who saw his playing time diminish with the emergence of Reuben Foster.
Well, Bowman not only gets all the snaps he could ever want in the middle of the Raiders defense, he will have had enough time to really understand the nuances of Ken Norton Jr.’s defense. This will allow him to play more freely. It only makes his teammates better around him, as they know that Bowman is a pro’s pro.
Without Bowman, it was doubtful that the Raiders would have a legitimate shot at containing the Bills’ vaunted rushing attack of LeSean McCoy and Tyrod Taylor. Now that he’s in the fold, Bowman can help the Raiders have a solid game plan to mitigate the highly regarded Buffalo ground game.