Mike Rodak, ESPN Staff Writer 9y

W2W4: Buffalo Bills

ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. -- The Buffalo Bills (8-6) will travel cross-country to meet the Oakland Raiders (2-12) on Sunday at O.co Coliseum (4:25 p.m. ET, CBS).

Here is what to watch for from the Bills' side:

1. Strength against weakness: We led off the past two weeks dissecting how the Bills' defense was meeting its opponent's strength, namely the offenses of the Denver Broncos and Green Bay Packers. This week, the situation is almost entirely reversed, and the Bills' defense is meeting the Raiders' main weakness -- their offense. Consider some of their league rankings:

  • QBR: 27th (Bills' defense: 1st)

  • Yards per game: 32nd (Bills' defense: 5th)

  • Yards per play: 32nd (Bills' defense: 4th)

  • Rushing yards per game: 32nd (Bills' defense: 9th)

  • Passing yards per game: 24th (Bills' defense: 5th)

  • First downs per game: 32nd (Bills' defense: tied-8th)

2. Easing in Spiller: The Bills activated C.J. Spiller to their 53-man roster Friday and he's expected to play Sunday. But how much will he play? That could be a more of an issue of "feel" and how Spiller reacts to his first contact and first live reps in over two months. "The only concern I have is -- it’s not really being in shape, but to be able to play and run plays in and out, in and out, in and out and to make sure his conditioning is right at that level," coach Doug Marrone said Thursday. "It seems to be OK. I think it will just get better. I know he looks explosive. He’s moving well." With Fred Jackson on the field for more than 70 percent of the snaps the past three weeks, I wouldn't expect Spiller to return and all of the sudden take the lion's share of carries in the backfield. Instead, it's more reasonable that the Bills will ease him into some plays as both a runner and receiver and if the results are there, keep at it.

3. Scoreboard watching: While it's necessary for the Bills to secure a victory Sunday to keep their playoff hopes alive, they'll need a lot of help during the next two weeks from other teams. That means they'll have to watch the scoreboard Saturday, Sunday, and Monday with several AFC contenders in action in the three-day span. FiveThirtyEight has a terrific tool that lays out each game's impact on the Bills' playoff chances, which currently sit at 5.2 percent. Here are the positive outcomes for the Bills:

  • Bills defeat Raiders: increases Bills' playoff odds by 2.4 percent.

  • Houston Texans defeat Baltimore Ravens: increases Bills' playoff odds by 2.1 percent.

  • Denver Broncos defeat Cincinnati Bengals: increases Bills' playoff odds by 1.7 percent.

  • San Francisco 49ers defeat San Diego Chargers: increases Bills' playoff odds by 1.5 percent.

  • Pittsburgh Steelers beat Kansas City Chiefs: increases Bills' playoff odds by 1.4 percent.

4. Going for first win in Oakland since 1966: If the Bills take care of business Sunday and improve to 9-6, it would be their first victory in Oakland since 1966. Here are their previous meetings with the Raiders, in Oakland, since that game:

  • Oct. 23, 2005: Loss, 38-17

  • Sept. 19, 2004: Loss, 13-10

  • Nov. 28, 1977: Loss, 34-13

  • Oct. 15, 1972: Loss, 28-16

  • Oct. 19, 1969: Loss, 50-21

  • Nov. 28, 1968: Loss, 13-10

  • Dec. 24, 1967: Loss, 28-21

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