The Las Vegas Raiders look to build on a narrow Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos when they visit Highmark Stadium for a Week 2 matchup against the Buffalo Bills.
Sean McDermott’s club suffered a heartbreaking overtime defeat at MetLife Stadium to the Jets in their opener, blowing a 13-3 halftime lead despite the fact Aaron Rodgers exited the game after four offensive plays with what turned out to be a season-ending Achilles injury.
Raiders vs Bills Odds
NFL odds used for this Las Vegas vs Buffalo preview were found at Caesars Sportsbook and are current as of Tuesday, Sept. 12 at 4:00 pm EST.
- Moneyline: Bills (-440) • Raiders (+335)
- Spread: Bills -9.5 (-110) • Raiders +9.5 (-110)
- Total Points: Over 47 points (-110) • Under 47 points (-110)
- Implied Score: Bills 28.25, Raiders 18.75
Raiders vs Bills Predictions
Score Pick: Bills 27, Raiders 14
The Bills are naturally a much better offense than they showed Monday night against a Jets team that’s given Josh Allen plenty of trouble in the last few seasons. James Cook looked the part of lead back during his relatively limited opportunities, and what profiles as a mediocre-or-worse Las Vegas pass rush is likely to afford Allen plenty of time to scan the field for Stefon Diggs, Gabe Davis, and even Cook.
Meanwhile, while Jimmy Garoppolo looked adequate in his Raiders debut, he’ll be facing an elite defense that could give him and his offensive line plenty of trouble. Garoppolo could also be down Jakobi Meyers due to a concussion after his former Patriots teammate – and not Davante Adams – served as his top Week 1 target.
Given the factors cited, I see a Buffalo team out for atonement prevailing fairly handily despite Vegas’ rest advantage.
Raiders vs Bills Best Bets & Props
Under 47 points (-110)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
Factoring in that the Jets’ game-winning touchdown Monday night came on a punt return, the Bills’ defense didn’t play poorly overall despite Buffalo blowing a 10-point halftime lead.
Rodgers’ early exit certainly helped, but the fact remains the Bills held the Jets to 289 total yards while sacking Zach Wilson twice (in addition to the sack that caused Rodgers’ injury) and picking him off once. Buffalo also held Dalvin Cook to 33 yards on 13 carries.
Breece Hall did gain 127 rushing yards on 10 carries, but a sizable chunk of it came on an 83-yard run. With a bit more gap/lane discipline, the Bills certainly have the potential to do a much better job on Josh Jacobs, who’s still rounding into form following his summer holdout and was limited to 44 yards on 19 carries by the Broncos.
Denver’s defense certainly isn’t without talent, but Buffalo’s unit is on another level. Adams could also be the subject of even more attention than usual if Meyers is out, which would further make the Raiders’ offense life difficult.
Because I don’t see the path to more than two touchdowns in this spot for Las Vegas, I think the Under hits even with an exponentially improved offensive performance on the part of Buffalo, making it my NFL bet of the day.
Bills -9.5 (-110)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
As noted above in the game prediction, the Bills will not only have a home-field edge on their side in Week 2, but they’ll be carrying a bit of a chip on their collective shoulder after their disappointing Week 1 loss.
Buffalo was 7-2 straight up at home last season and postseason, and although the Bills were just 3-6 ATS in that sample, this is an opponent they have a clear talent advantage over. Moreover, the Raiders were 3-6 against the spread on the road in their own right in 2022.
Additionally, even though it’s early in the season, the Raiders’ one-day rest advantage is at least partly nullified by the fact they’ll be traveling across multiple time zones for a 1 pm EST start.
Despite the fact it’s a big number, I can see a Buffalo squad that averaged 29.7 points per home game last season and postseason – while holding opponents to 20.2 per contest in that split–covering.
Bills 2H -4.5 (-110)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit
Given the talent superiority of Buffalo, the home-field advantage, and the fact they’ll be facing a Raiders team with out-of-sorts body clocks, I can see the Bills pulling away some in this game.
The Raiders scored just seven second-half points in the opener and averaged a meager 6.6 per second-half on the road last season. Meanwhile, Buffalo ranked in the top 10 in the NFL with 12.4 points per second half overall in 2023, including 11.3 at home.
With the Bills having more explosive weapons overall – starting with Allen – I believe they have enough to forge at least a five-point advantage over the final two quarters.
Raiders vs Bills Same Game Parlay
Raiders vs Bills SGP (+134)
Caesars Sportsbook • WAGER: 1 unit(s)
- Bills (-440)
- Under 47 points (-110)
This parlay stems from much of what was detailed previously. I’m firmly in the camp of a Bills win outright so my first leg is the moneyline. In order to mitigate the risk that does come with a large spread while also eliminating the untenable price on a Buffalo moneyline bet, I like this parlay.
The price is more than appealing enough when considering the added security of simply banking on an outright win, and the Under is one that should have a very good chance of hitting.
