The Las Vegas Raiders have a major challenge if they want to snap their two-game losing streak with the Buffalo Bills coming into Allegiant Stadium for Week 6 on Oct. 18.
Moreover, if the Raiders saw the Bills’ Week 5 win over the Los Angeles Rams, it’s clear that Buffalo will lean heavily on their running game to hurt an opposing team’s defense. In the win over Los Angeles, Buffalo recorded 234 team rushing yards and had two players rush for over 100 yards.
Josh Allen had 10 carries for 121 rushing yards, averaging 12.1 yards per carry and one rushing touchdown.
Ahead of the game against the Bills, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak spoke on the Oct. 13 edition of “1-on-1” and shared his thoughts on Allen, noting that the Silver and Black’s can’t just worry about the passing game.
“He’s a competitor,” Kubiak said. “He does what it takes to win. He’s one of the elite players in the league and a guy that we have to account for this week. Account for his arm and his legs.”
Meanwhile, the other player who recorded over 100 rushing yards was James Cook. The Bills running back had 25 carries for 111 rushing yards, averaging 4.4 yards per carry, and two touchdowns.
“I know his family well,” Kubiak added. “His brother played for us in Minnesota, Dalvin, and two very explosive backs. Five yards per carry, that says what it says. But his explosion and his ability to make plays in the pass game make him a big threat.”
Klint Kubiak on Defense Amid Two-Game Losing Streak
After a 3-0 start, the Raiders have lost two straight games, with those losses coming against the Kansas City Chiefs and New England Patriots. As a result, while these are teams with top-tier QBs, Kubiak understands that his defense needs to clean up.
“There’s a big challenge this week,” Kubiak added. “It’s a big challenge every week, and New England did a great job of getting the ball over our heads. So we have to adjust as coaches and players and go make those plays. We have a lot to improve on, and that’s our job as coaches, to get it fixed.”
The Raiders’ pass defense was torched in the loss to the Patriots as they gave up 371 passing yards, and even on the ground they gave up 165 rushing yards, which could come to haunt them against the Bills if they give up this production.
Maxx Crosby’s Message to Raiders After Losing Two Straight
Amid their two-game losing streak, Las Vegas has to go back to the drawing board to avoid losing three straight games. After the game against the Patriots, Maxx Crosby shared his thoughts on the mindset that the team needs to have to snap this losing skid.
“It’s one game,” Crosby told reporters on Oct. 11. “It’s not good enough, obviously. We definitely didn’t expect to play that way, but it’s how you respond. That’s the nature of the beast. You have to show up every single day and get better. It’s on all of us, everybody, players and coaches. We all hold each other accountable, and we have to find ways to get better.”
Raiders’ Klint Kubiak Has Strong Words for Bills’ Josh Allen, James Cook