The Buffalo Bills will stay out West this week as they prepare to take on the Raiders in Las Vegas this Sunday. Buffalo is entering the matchup after a late victory over the Los Angeles Rams and is a week away from their bye week. The Raiders will attempt to course correct after suffering two straight losses. Here’s the breakdown:
BUFFALO BILLS (4-1/AFC East)
vs.
LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-2/AFC West)
Sunday, Allegiant Stadium, 4:25 pm
Headline #1: Allen showcases heroics in win vs. Rams
Buffalo scored two touchdowns in the fourth quarter, and Tyler Bass connected on a 47-yard field goal in overtime to help the Bills secure a 37-34 win over the Los Angeles Rams on Monday night.
Bills quarterback Josh Allen got off to a slow start, but completed 8 of his 12 passes for 149 yards and a touchdown while adding 100 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in the second half and overtime to help Buffalo come up on top.
It was the first career overtime victory for Allen, who was previously 0-7 in games that needed more than 60 minutes.
“Our team kept fighting until the last second, found a way to win,” Allen said after the game. “It’s the first OT win that I’ve got. It feels good being on this side.”
Headline #2: Raiders on a two-game skid
Las Vegas were the early surprise of the NFL when they jumped out to a 3-0 record, but it’s been a rough past two weeks for the Raiders.
They fell in a home game against the undefeated Kansas City Chiefs 30-27 in Week 4, and in Week 5 got run out of the stadium in a road tilt against the New England Patriots, falling 45-17.
Week 6’s showdown is a pivotal one for a Raiders team that will start a four-game stretch after Buffalo that features the Rams, the San Francisco 49ers, and the Seattle Seahawks.
Headline #3: Buffalo still unable to stop the pass
The Bills defense was once again pummeled on Monday night, with the secondary again being the main culprit.
The Bills allowed Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford to complete 40 of 54 passes for 383 yards and three touchdowns. Wide receiver Puka Nacua finished with 17 catches for 138 yards and a touchdown.
The Bills got a 34-27 lead with just over a minute left, but allowed the Rams to march down the field and score with a few seconds remaining in regulation to force overtime.
Currently, Buffalo ranks 31st in the NFL in passing defense and 28th in points allowed.
Key to the game #1: Grab the lead early
The Raiders lost a heart breaking game to the Chiefs in Week 4 and got pummeled on the road in Week 5. For a team that started 3-0, this is probably the first time all season that morale has taken a serious hit.
If Buffalo can dominate the first quarter and build a lead, it could potentially snowball akin to how Las Vegas’ game against the Patriots went last week. Don’t give a team potentially questioning themselves any chance of getting their feet under them.
Key to the game #2: James Cook can’t fumble
Despite how generally awesome Bills running back James Cook has been his past two seasons in Buffalo, there’s a pretty serious elephant in the room.
The 2025 NFL rushing champion is the worst running back in football when it comes to ball security. He has put the ball on the turf 10 times since the start of last season, the most in the NFL of any running back over that span. He has already fumbled four times in 2026, with Buffalo losing two of them.
“Look, he’s doing so many good things running the football,” head coach Joe Brady said to reporters on Tuesday. “I don’t want to lose sight of how great he is running the ball right now. But putting the ball on the ground, it’s negating all the positive.”
He needs to be better at not fumbling the ball. It almost cost the Bills the game against the Rams, with a Cook fumble on Buffalo’s opening possession of overtime in Los Angeles territory that would have been the dagger for the Bills if not for a blocked field goal by Greg Rousseau.
X-Factor: Raiders tight end Brock Bowers
The Bills biggest Achilles’ heel this season has been defending against the pass. The Texans, Lions, and Patriots were all incredibly successful through the air against Buffalo, and in the Rams game last week it was no different.
While the Raiders don’t have a star wide receiver anywhere near the caliber of the number one options that Buffalo has faced so far this season, they do have arguably the best tight end in football.
Brock Bowers missed the first two games of the season with injury but has since been incredibly productive, averaging eight catches a game for 104 yards. He’s caught a touchdown pass in every game he’s played in this season.
Bowers is the number one target for a Raiders offense that ranks 8th in the NFL in passing yards per game. How effective the Bills are at limiting him will determine whether or not Buffalo comes out on top.
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