Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season is right around the corner, and this weekend's slate brings a tough matchup for the Las Vegas Raiders. In Week 1, the Raiders came away with the victory on the road as an underdog, and will have to do the same thing in Week 2 against what should be a fired-up Buffalo Bills team.
The Bills were beaten on national television by their AFC East rival this past Monday night, despite the fact that Aaron Rodgers went down with a season-ending injury on the first drive. Josh Allen threw multiple interceptions in the game, and looked lost at times, so you can expect him to try to right the ship on Sunday morning.
Here, we look at some X-Factors for the Raiders if they hope to knock off the Bills in Week 2 of the 2023 NFL season.
Las Vegas X-Factors against the Bills in 2023 Week 2
Divine Deablo
The Raiders were counting on a big season from Divine Deablo in 2023, and if Week 1 is an indication, he could be in for one. This is a player who is going to be a cornerstone for this Raiders defense in 2023, and beyond, but he draws a tough matchup against this Bills offense on Sunday.
Deablo and his fellow linebacker corps, including Robert Spillane, will have to play their best brand of football against a Bills offense that can hurt them on the ground, and through the air. If they can do that, they could force some more untimely interceptions from Josh Allen.
Raiders IOL
There is no doubt that the Buffalo Bills have some elite talent in the interior of their defensive line, which makes the Raiders interior offensive line that much more important this Sunday. Andre James, Greg Van Roten, and Dylan Parham have their work cut out for them, and it is imperative that they do their job and get the running game going.
If Josh Jacobs can go off, and the Raiders can keep the ball and the Bills offense off the field, it will go a long way towards securing their second victory of the season. Starting the season off 2-0 would be next to shocking, but the Raiders can do that if they can establish the run early and often against Buffalo.
Hunter Renfrow
Jakobi Meyers broke out in his first game as a member of the Raiders franchise, but unfortunately, we will not have an encore performance in Week 2. Meyers has been ruled out due to concussion, which means Hunter Renfrow, who got zero targets in Week 1, must step up and have a big game against the Bills.
Renfrow is one of the best route-runners in the NFL, and it was almost unfathomable that he could go a whole game without a single target. With Davante Adams drawing Tre'Davious White, a premier cornerback in this one, Renfrow needs to step up in a big way in the passing game.