Oakland Raiders at Buffalo Bills (-3), Total 43 |
Oakland heads out on the road for the second consecutive week after coming away with a 23-20 win over AFC West-rival Denver as three-point road underdogs. The key to the game was holding a 152-yard advantage on the ground.
The Raiders will now be aiming to start a season with consecutive wins for the first time since last appearing in the playoffs in 2002. First-year head coach Hue Jackson senses the excitement in the locker room.
“It would mean a ton to this football team,” Jackson commented during practice this week. “We know we have to travel, we know we’re going back east.”
The team has tallied a 9-8 ATS mark on the road the past two seasons, while coming away with a 4-9 ATS record when the line is between a field goal on both sides.
Quarterback Jason Campbell will likely need to perform at a higher level in order to capture consecutive road wins, completing 13 of 22 passes for 105 yards and a touchdown last week.
Offensively, the team relied on its punishing ground attack, gaining 190 yards. Star running back Darren McFadden was a monster, getting 150 yards on 22 carries.
The NFL betting public will find that the Raiders are 4-10 ATS following an ATS win, while the ‘over’ is 11-4 in their last 15 September betting prediction contests.
Buffalo shocked a lot of people with its 41-7 win over the Kansas City Chiefs as 3.5-point road underdogs in the season opener, coming away with a 151-yard advantage in years in the process.
The Bills will need to continue working on its rush defense, as the Chiefs were unable to rely on the ground game due to being down early. Kansas City still gained 108 yards on 18 carries. That’s a big problem when facing Oakland in the next week.
On the other side of the ball, the team knows that it must protect quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick against a defensive line that rushed Denver quarterback Kyle Orton heavily in the opening week.
“Up front, this is maybe the biggest, most physical team that we’ll see,” commented Fitzpatrick during practice. “All those guys have great six, they have great motors.”
Sunday will serve as the 36th regular-season meeting between the two franchises, with the Bills trailing the series, 19-16. Fitzpatrick will need to follow up last week’s three-touchdown performance with another solid outing.
Bettors will find that Bills betting are 12-4 ATS in Week 2 and the ‘under’ is 11-1 in their last 12 games following a win.
