Raiders-Bills: 17 things we learned

The Las Vegas Raiders went back to playing competitive football Sunday in Week 6 after an embarrassing blowout defeat in Week 5.

However, the Raiders are still not playing enough winning football and they has turned a promising 3-0 start to the season to a sobering 3-3 record after a 33-30 home defeat to the 5-1 Buffalo Bills on Sunday.

This game was similar to Week 4 when the Raiders lost at home 30-27 to the Kansas City Chiefs. Like the Chiefs, the Bills made more plays and were leading late but the Raiders were valiant, but ultimately couldn’t catch up. As Raiders’ head coach Lint Kubiak said Sunday, though, there are no moral victories.

A clearly frustrated Kubiak said the team has to close teams out. But really they have to stop falling behind and playing catch. They have to go back to playing winning football. The Raiders have forced one turnover in the past three games after forcing nine takeaways when they went 3-0.

Las Vegas has to learn to win against good competition. Their next opponent is the Los Angles Rams, who were a a preseason Super Bowl favorite, but they now sit at 2-4. The three teams the Raiders have beaten are a combined 2-15. The Raiders must beat the Rams or they will have a losing record.

Three weeks ago, Las Vegas was tied for the best record in football. Now they trail the 6-0 Chiefs by three games in the AFC West. Eight teams in the AFC have more wins than the Raiders.

Here are soem key aspects of this game:

Defense sags:

Rob Leonard’s defense continues to get gutted. They have allowed 135 points in the past four games and have allowed 30 or more points for three straight games for the first time since 2019. Bills’ quarterback Josh Allen and running back James Cook toyed with the Raiders’ defense for most of the game.

Mayer cooks, Bowers comes on late:

The Bills were focused on containing Brock Bowers, so Michael Mayer did work. He had 95 yards on seven catches. Bowers did get targeted until late in the third quarter. He did find a way to contribute as he finished with four catches for 70 yards.

Tucker delivers:

Wide receiver Tre Tucker had his second strong game of the season as he had 97 yards and two scores on five grabs.

Run game still uneven:

The Raiders’ ground game had some success in the second half, but it also struggled at times. Starter Ashton Jeanty had just 22 yards on 10 carries. Rookie Mike Washington got involved after not being a big part of the plan last week and he responded with two 10-plus yard run. He finished with 43 yards on nine carries. Yet, the Raiders are still looking for consistency in this area.

Red-zone offense is off:

The Raiders were 2 for 5 in the red zone, which pissed off Kubiak. You’re not going to beat Allen that way.

No reported new injuries:
The Raiders didn’t report any injuries Sunday. They are relatively healthy at this point of the season and should get defensive tackle Tonka Hemingway, the only starter not to play Sunday, back in Week 7.

JPJ benched:

Kubiak suggested last week that their would be competition during the practice week in an attempt kickstart the offense line. Most of the speculation surrounded on left guard Spencer Burford, who has struggled in pass protection. Yet, the change Sunday was 2025 third-round pick Caleb Rogers replacing 2024 second-round pick Jackson Powers-Johnson at right guard. This could be a fluid situation because Kubiak has stated he believes in both Powers-Johnson and Rogers.

Rough start for Bills’ offense:

Buffalo had two call two timeouts on their first offensive drive of the game. Ouch.

Key Buffalo defender bounced:
Buffalo cornerback CJ Gardner-Johnson was disqualified for the first of the game late in the second quarter after an incident with Brock Bowers. Gardner-Johnson appeared to spit at the Raiders’ direction. It was a huge advantage for Las Vegas.

Porter is starter again:

IN an expected move, 2025 third-round pick Darien Porter started at an outside cornerback spot ahead of fifth-round pick, rookie Zeke Masses. Porter got the majority of snaps last week after Masses stole Porter’s starting job earlier in the season. But Masses had struggled after a hot start. Masses did take over in the second quarter. They continued to rotate in the second and and that will likely continue moving forward.

Big special teams penalties:
Raiders’ special teamer Segun Olubi was called for holding on a Raiders; kick return late in the game and then when that series ended with a punt. He was called for a face mark. Brutal.

Third-quarter woes continue:
The Bulls outscored the Raiders 1p-0 in the third quarter. Las Vegas has been outscored by 26 points in the third quarter this season. It’s the worst deficit in the NFL. Kubiak said he is very “upset” about the Raiders are starting the second half.

Issues with tush push:

The Raider’s tush-push attack with fullback Cam Heyward snapping t he ball has not been great this year. It bit them on fourth and short late in the second quarter when were called for a false start. They had to settle for a field goal to make it a 13-10 game. It was the third penalty on new Raiders’ center Tyler Linderbaum has three penalties on tush-push plays this season. Kubiak said these penalties are “killing” the Raiders.

Fatukasi starts:
Foley Fatukasi got the starter’s snaps at defensive tackle with Tonka Hemingway out with a concussion.

Another fan takeover:

We knew the Bills’ Mafia would be loud and it was. It was estimated that about 65 percent of the Allegiant Stadium stands were occupied by Bills’ fans. This was Buffalo’s first game in Las Vegas with fans allowed in the stadium. Bills Mafia travels well. Allen heard “MVP” chants and he said it felt like a Bills’ home game. It’s a point of frustration for the Raiders.

Two key Bills’ player didn’t suit up:
Buffalo key starters, wide receiver DJ Moore and defensive lineman Ed Oliver, were inactive Sunday. They were listed as questionable on the the injury report.

Rookie inactive:
The Raiders elevated rookie defensive end Cian Slone from the practice squad on Saturday. Yet, they made him inactive for the game. Sone can only be in elevated twice more this season from the practice squad.