The Buffalo Bills will face the Oakland Raiders at the New Era Field this Sunday. It is a game of opposites, as the Raiders’ high power passing offense meets the Buffalo’s stonewall defense. Oakland seems to have found their offensive rhythm in their exciting win against the Kansas City Chiefs on Thursday night. Buffalo is stealing the ball from opponents’ offenses. Here is how the Bills can give quarterback Derek Carr a nightmare day.

Tyrod Taylor versus Derek Carr

With Carr’s recent back injury that had him out for one game, the likelihood of him being a scrambling threat is low.

According to Raiders.com, he only has 22 yards rushing this season. If Buffalo can force him out of the pocket in this week’s match-up, Derek Carr may make some mistakes. Constant pressure on Carr will make it tough for him to get his passing game on target. Buffalo has only allowed a few passing touchdowns for the year.

In contrast, Tyrod Taylor seems to thrive when he is rolling out. He is second in rushing for the Bills with 174 yards. He ran for over 50 yards in the team’s win against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this past Sunday. Forcing Taylor to stay in the pocket can hurt his game, which makes stellar offensive line play crucial for Buffalo. Cordy Glenn and Richie Incognito need to protect Taylor and create some gaps for him and LeSean McCoy.

Shutting down Cooper, Crabtree, and Cook

The Buffalo defense needs to shut down Amari Cooper and Jared Cook, as both receivers are on fire lately. Cooper scored two touchdowns against the Chiefs. The wide receiver is coming off a 212- yard game. He was also named as AFC Offensive Player of the week, according to Pro Football Talks.

Cook also hauled in a reception for a score. The receivers seem to be finding their stride right now. Bills’ receiver Andre Holmes, who used to play for Oakland, talked about his former teams’ wide receivers on WGR’s John Murphy Show this morning.

Said Holmes, “It impacted me just being able to watch guys on a daily basis. You see it (their talent) every week.” Referring to Oakland’s offensive playmakers, Holmes said that Derek Carr has many talents around him.

Michael Crabtree is leading the Raiders’ receivers in touchdowns with six. Said Holmes, “Crabtree will lull you to sleep with some of his moves.”

Bills’ cornerbacks Tre’Davious White and Leonard Johnson must keep up with Cooper, Cook, and Crabtree. Allowing long plays will not help Buffalo. Jerry Hughes, Lorenzo Alexander, and Shaq Lawson need to sack Carr throughout the game.

The Bills’ turnover machine is in full swing

The Buffalo defense is a turnover machine right now with 18 turnovers for the year. Safety Micah Hyde leads the team with 4 interceptions. Jordan Poyer is right behind him with a pair of interceptions. The Bills need to come up on the plus side in turnovers this week. Things will be easier without running back Marshawn Lynch, who is suspended for one game for jumping off the bench and pushing a referee during a team skirmish with the Chiefs.

The Bills can jump to 5-2 in the AFC East with a win against Oakland.
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