The Buffalo Bills ran over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday (Oct. 29) to move to 5-2 on the season. The 34-14 victory was about as one-sided as it looked, even though the Bills started out a tad slow in the first quarter. The team trailed 7-0 early on but would nab the lead by halftime and run away with the game in the second half. That’s not a pun either, as LeSean McCoy led an impressive rushing attack on the ground.
The Bills leaned heavily on McCoy, giving him the ball 27 times as he rushed for 151 yards and a touchdown. That worked out to an average of 5.6 yards per carry, showing that the offensive line of the Bills also deserved a lot of credit.
It also made things easier for Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, who was able to focus on short-to-medium range passes. He would complete 20-of-27 passes for 165 yards and a touchdown.
Bills remain undefeated at home
With this victory over the Oakland Raiders, the Buffalo Bills moved to 4-0 at home this season. The Bills have taken full advantage of the home cooking to improve to 5-2 on the season and keep pace with the New England Patriots (6-2) in the AFC East. The wins have been against the Raiders, New York Jets, Denver Broncos, Atlanta Falcons, and Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
A road game is coming up on Thursday night football (Nov. 2) for the Bills, as they are on the road to play the Jets a second time this season already.
The Jets are at 3-5 and currently the last-place team in the AFC East. It’s a game where the Bills should have an advantage, but the team will need LeSean McCoy to rest up so that he is ready to have a lot of carries again. They follow that with a home game against the New Orleans Saints on Nov. 12.
The AFC standings
Before the games this weekend, the NFL playoff standings had the Buffalo Bills as the No.
5 seed and the first AFC Wild Card team. That will remain the same, as the Patriots are still leading the division to secure that home-field advantage in the postseason (so far). If the playoffs started today, the Tennessee Titans would host the Bills in a first-round playoff game.
It helped the Bills and the Patriots that the Miami Dolphins got shut out Thursday night (Oct.
26) by the Baltimore Ravens. The Dolphins had the same record as the Bills before Week 8 started, but now the Bills have a bit of breathing room in the updated NFL standings. Now, with a win on Nov. 2, the Buffalo Bills can move into a first-place tie with the New England Patriots in the AFC East.