Welcome in to the full recap of the Raiders' Week 13 matchup vs. the Buffalo Bills. The Raiders get to that magic double-digit number to keep pace for a playoff spot, beating the Bills 24-38 while scoring 21 unanswered points in the 2nd half.
We have to start getting used to this feeling. The way Buffalo came out of the 2nd half, things just looked bleak. It's like "welp, we gotta just forget about this game and move on to Kansas City." We're just used to the feeling that because the Raiders are down by too much, we can already sense a loss coming in. This team, they just won't be denied. No matter what the score is, no matter the situation, they will continue to fight until the end. And as a result, Carr took this game over for the offense. Mack took this game over for the defense. The legend of the 2014 draft continues to unfold before our very eyes.
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Khalil Mack, 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery. You can't stop him, but you can only hope to contain him. If it weren't for a couple of blatant holds that the refs missed, Mack would've blown up the stats sheet more. There is absolutely no question Mack is a DPOY candidate. The Bills may have fooled him on a couple of plays, but you don't want to piss this guy off. Mack taking on the Bills' O-line and absolutely wrecking them. He forces the ball out of Tyrod Taylor's hands, setting up Nate Allen's free INT and when the Bills were driving, Mack once again strikes with a strip sack and fumble recovery to seal the deal. What a beast!
AC/DC/MC. Triple threat! Derek Carr, 19 of 35 passes, 260 yards, 2 TDs. Amari Cooper, 2 reception, 59 yards, and 1 TD. Michael Crabtree 7 receptions, 74 yards, and 1 TD. But, mostly Carr has played a big part here. Shotgun formation all day long. The offense went off to a slow start, but he still willed the Raiders to yet another offensive rally. Crabtree had a key drop for a game tying TD in the 1st half, but he made up for it with a TD to get the rally going. Coop was quiet all game long until he shakes off a defender for the go-ahead score for the lead. Coop and Crab keep showing why they are one heck of a tandem and it helps when they have a ball-slinging quarterback like Carr.
Perry Riley Jr., 10 tackles. Perry Riley is proving to be yet another waiver-wire steal away from the Redskins. The Raiders definitely missed him last week against Carolina. LeSean McCoy is a elusive runner to stop and Riley stopped them in his tracks when needed.
Running game. The Bills had a majority of control on the run game, but once the 2nd half hit, Murray and Richard hit it to another level. Murray finished with 20 carries on 82 yards and 2 TDs. Jalen Richard racked up 53 yards on 9 carries. Tay Train has proven enough he is a goal line threat with his size. But how about Richard? I thought he ran hard out there and found some really good holes and running lanes to help out the run game. Overall, the 2nd half was where the run game found its groove and Murray and Richard are building up that reputation as "Thunder and Lightning."
Mychal Rivera, 3 receptions, 57 yards. It's a crime that I didn't put Clive Walford on the positives last week because he stepped up. This week, it was Rivera who picked up the slack. I'm telling you if this Tight End position gets going, the Raiders are going to be invincible offensively. Walford had a quiet game today, but Rivera stepped up to be Carr's security blanket when Crabtree, Cooper, and Roberts were being covered.
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The slow start and the start of the 2nd half were pretty much the only negatives this game. It's a testament to way this played and how they rallied to win this game. Not a lot of negatives.
MVP
Encore Mack! Encore! Every day we're reminded how lucky we are that Mack fell to the Raiders at the #5 pick in the 2014 draft. When it's his time to take over games, he just goes full on beast mode regardless what the stats say.
Conclusion
10-2! Back at the 1st place spot in the AFC! If I told anybody 4 years ago the Raiders would've started a season 10-2, I would've gotten laughed at and people would say I was delusional. But, this year it's definitely real. As I said before, regardless of the outcome, this team just won't throw in the towel. It's what Jack Del Rio said in the beginning of the season: last year, they knew how to compete. This year, they know how to win. The will to win is undeniable on this team. But, not a lot of time to celebrate as the Raiders have a date with destiny with the Chiefs on Thursday Night. It would've safe to assume that the Raiders would look ahead and the Bills would take advantage of that, but they just take it one game at a time. Now definitely, they can put the Chiefs on the bulletin. Despite this magical start, the critics are saying it all the time: "the Raiders can't the beat the Chiefs." "The Chiefs will jump the Raiders and steal the AFC West from them." Chiefs this. Chiefs that. We are tired of this Chiefs talk. Yes, Arrowhead Stadium is always a tough place to play at. But look, the Raiders handled the crowd noise at the Superdome in New Orleans. They've handled a lot of noise on the road and they are 5-0 on the road. The Chiefs had two weeks to prepare in the first matchup. This time around, it's a level playing field with each team coming off short weeks. The bad news though, I will not be covering this game, which totally sucks. I still have one more week into the semester and I always have a night class on Thursday. But I will find a way to keep track of this game because this is huge and could decide the AFC West. I won't see you guys on the blog, but let's go Raiders! Go into Arrowhead, shut up all the Chiefs talk, and just win!
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