Complete and utter dominance—that’s what the Buffalo Bills accomplished in a 38-10 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders this past Sunday.
It looked so promising for the Silver and Black at the onset of the matchup. The Raiders actually took the fight to the Bills with an efficient and impressive five-play, 75-yard scoring drive, highlighted by a 34-yard jet sweep run by rookie wide receiver Tre Tucker. It was then capped off by a smooth 16-yard touchdown catch and run by wideout Davante Adams.
Then, defensively, Vegas held strong by limiting Buffalo’s offense to just five yards in three plays as linebacker Robert Spillane sacked Bills quarterback Josh Allen to force a punt.
However, that was the lone complementary sequence the team (1-1 overall) could muster. And that was the last time the Silver and Black did anything of merit in the trenches. The Bills seized the moment after a tipped pass led to an interception and trampled the Raiders the rest of the way. A field goal was all Las Vegas’ offense could drum up (in the second quarter). The unit was shut out the rest of the way.
Raiders Obliterated In Buffalo…
Buffalo, meanwhile, rebounded from an embarrassing Week 1 loss and thrashed the visiting Raiders, scoring 21 points in the first half before adding 17 more in the second.
“We never got control of the line of scrimmage the entire day,” Raiders head honcho Josh McDaniels plainly said in the post-game media session. “When you don’t have control of the line of scrimmage, it becomes a very one-dimensional type of game. We were always in second-and-long.”
Buffalo circled Las Vegas’ wagons so well that it resulted in Raiders’ running back Josh Jacobs finishing with -2 yards rushing on nine carries. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo finished 16 of 24 for 185 yards, a single touchdown pass, and two interceptions.
“What makes this one so frustrating is that we showed flashes of what this offense can do on the first drive, but then we couldn’t do anything,” Jacobs said in the post-game media scrum.
“We have to be able to block people,” McDaniels noted. “We couldn’t even get Jacobs to the line of scrimmage without being touched. I take responsibility for all of that, and I am going to have to figure out how to get JJ going.”
There’s plenty of problem-solving that needs to be done on the opposite side of the football…
The Vegas defense, a unit devoid of a takeaway on the young season, was surgically cut to pieces by Buffalo. The inability to control the line of scrimmage wrecked the defense as much as the offense. The Bills were more than happy to land brutal body blows before striking haymakers to the Raiders’ wide-open jaw.
Terrorizing edge rusher Maxx Crosby wasn’t his usual destructive self, as the Buffalo game was well-planned around the elite defender. Malcolm Koonce and rookie Tyree Wilson didn’t put highlight-worthy tape on film in Sunday’s loss.
But the Raiders’ lack of difference-making interior linemen continues to be a glaring issue. How’s this: Two games in, Raiders defensive tackles have big fat donuts (zeroes) in the most important areas. They have been shut out in the sacks, tackles for loss, and quarterback hits department. All that despite the team giving Bilal Nichols, Adam Butler, John Jenkins, Jerry Tillery, and rookie Byron Young rotating snaps to keep them fresh.
The defensive line being rendered impotent for much of Sunday’s contest has ripple effects for the entire defense. Linebackers and defensive backs alike were put on their heels in both run support and pass coverage as the Bills had a stampede toward the second and third levels of the Raiders’ defense.
Any bright spots for Las Vegas from last Sunday?
The only bright spots were linebackers Robert Spillane (14) and Divine Deablo (10), who led the team in total tackles. They also racked up the team’s two sacks (one each). Both had one stop for a loss to boot.
“It’s across the board,” said Crosby, on what needs to happen from the defensive line going forward. “We’ve all got to get home. We all have to win. We all have to be on the same page.”
The only thing the Raiders seem to be on the same page about is a Jekyll & Hyde version of complementary football.
In the Week 1 win over the Broncos, Las Vegas’ offense and defense combined to close out the road matchup. Yet, in the Week 2 loss, the Raiders offense and defense combined for an exhibition of ineptitude. When the team is good, it’s good in all phases. When the team is bad, it’s a collective basura effort.
That has to change this coming Sunday, with the 1-1 Pittsburgh Steelers headed to Sin City for a night matchup.
McDaniels lamented having other defenders step up if Pittsburgh puts two people against Crosby, much like Buffalo did.
“But complementary defense is, when they do this to try to limit somebody, there could be a weakness somewhere else, and we got to find it,” the Raiders head coach said. “We have other people that can make plays, and when they do, then maybe some of that other stuff goes away. There’s no shortcut to that, either. When they do something to try to limit a strength of yours, you have to try to find another way to be impactful.”
You Heard ‘Em:
“Like I said yesterday after the game, we didn’t do enough well to really win in any phase of the game. And so, give them credit. They’re a good football team, well coached, and they played and coached much better than we did yesterday. It should be a good day for us to learn about what we need to do better and how all of us can contribute to a better performance.
”And it’s our choice as to how we use this. You can either use it as a huge positive and grow and get significantly better and improve, or not. We’re going to try to do that today.” —Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels a day after the loss to the Bills
*Top Photo: Raiders.com