Buffalo bounces back, tramples Las Vegas in week two

Week one of the 2023 National Football League (NFL) season made it clear that the American Football Conference heavyweights are just as vulnerable as any other team. The Kansas City Chiefs lost opening night to the Detroit Lions, the Cincinnati Bengals were beaten down by the Cleveland Browns, and, of course, the Buffalo Bills looked completely incompetent against the Zach Wilson-led New York Jets. 

Week two was a prime opportunity for each of those franchises to turn the doubts that arose from their first matchups around early in the season. The Chiefs did their job and battled to a victory against the Jacksonville Jaguars, while the Bengals faltered again at the hands of the Baltimore Ravens. The Bills, however, came into week two destined for a matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders, who started the season with a win over the Denver Broncos. 

The game, set for a 1 p.m. kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 17, was the home opener, and the Bills Mafia waited eagerly to see their squad bounce back to their old dominance. The anticipation quickly dwindled as the Raiders took possession of the ball to open the game and marched down the field in less than three minutes. A 16-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo allowed receiver Davante Adams to put their team ahead by one early score. 

Buffalo looked just as poor on offense as they did against the Jets during their first drive of the game, as they punted after only three plays to give the ball right back to Las Vegas. Fortunately for the Bills, a pass from Garoppolo was tipped by lineman Greg Rousseau and fell into the hands of second-year linebacker Terrel Bernard, who came down with his first career interception. 

Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense was able to take the advantage late in the first quarter as they made their way down the field— the result of numerous short-run plays and passes down under. Allen looked to make some more careful plays after his recklessness cost the team a win against New York just one week prior. The Bills forced their way to the Raiders’ four-yard line before newly-acquired running back Latavius Murray took the ball up the middle and into the endzone to tie up the game.

A quick three-and-out by Las Vegas gave the ball right back to the Bills, whose offense was beginning to look like a complete unit for the first time this season. They took their time with a meticulous six-minute, 11-play drive that culminated in a two-yard passing touchdown to tight end Dawson Knox. Buffalo took the 14-7 lead at the beginning of the second quarter and never looked back.

The Raiders mustered a 47-yard field goal to bring the score to within three before Buffalo took possession once again, this time with great field position due to a 41-yard kickoff return. A 26-yard pass to running back James Cook pushed the team to within ten yards of the endzone but, after three unsuccessful attempts to score, they went for it on fourth down and came up empty-handed.

The Bills offense reached the field once more before the end of the half and rushed down the field in under two minutes, scoring on an 11-yard pass to receiver Khalil Skair before time expired. The 21-10 halftime lead marked Buffalo’s largest of the season, and they aimed to protect it coming out of the break. And they did just that, taking over with the ball to open the second half and wasting almost ten minutes of playtime on a failed 15-play, 75-yard excursion to the endzone. Buffalo went for it again on fourth-and-goal but were successful this time, as Allen found receiver Gabe Davis for another two-yard touchdown pass. 

An extremely impressive interception by linebacker Matt Milano—made over a Raiders receiver’s shoulders—gave the Bills the ball back as they looked to extend their lead again. The squad took the ball into the fourth quarter before kicking a successful 29-yard field goal to go up by three touchdowns. 

One last lengthy possession was in store for Buffalo as they spent the majority of the fourth quarter working 95 yards down the field. Running back Damien Harris sealed the game for the Bills as he ran in the endzone for a one-yard touchdown. 

A large number of fans expected the Bills to bounce back against the Raiders, but few could have anticipated the absolute thrashing they displayed. Every aspect of the team, on both sides of the ball, finally seemed to click, and Buffalo looks on track to continue their AFC East dominance throughout the season. A matchup with the Washington Commanders on Sunday, Sept. 24, will be the next test for this refreshed Bills unit.

Thumbnail via Timothy T. Ludwig/Getty Images