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Raiders-Bills Preview
Oct 2, 7:56 PM (ET) Email this Story
GAME: Oakland Raiders (3-0) at Buffalo Bills (2-2).
TIME: Sunday, 1 p.m. EDT.
Two of the top quarterbacks and passing offenses in the NFL meet when Rich Gannon and the undefeated Oakland Raiders visit Drew Bledsoe and the Buffalo Bills.
Oakland is averaging an NFL-high 37.7 points per game, while Buffalo is fourth in the league with an average of 33 points.
The Raiders have been led by the 15-year veteran Gannon, who is tied for fourth in the AFC with seven touchdown passes, and is tied for fourth in the NFL with a 69.5 percent completion percentage.
Gannon threw 64 passes for 403 yards in a 30-17 win at the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sept. 15, and after a bye week, went 29-for-39 with 381 yards and four touchdowns in Oakland's 52-25 rout of the Tennessee Titans last Sunday.
"It's a lot of fun, obviously," Gannon said. "One thing we're doing a good job of is rolling a lot of personnel onto the field."
Gannon has led an Oakland team that is first in the NFL in total offense, and second in the league in passing offense.
His counterpart, Bledsoe, has been even more impressive since coming to Buffalo from the New England Patriots in an offseason trade.
The 30-year-old Bledsoe leads the NFL in passing yards (1,354) and completion percentage (70.3), and is second in the league in attempts (165), completions (116), and passing touchdowns (10).
His quarterback rating of 109.8 trails only Cleveland's Tim Couch (111.0), and he has helped make the Bills the third-best passing team in the NFL. In a 33-27 overtime win over the Chicago Bears last week, Bledsoe recorded the first four-touchdown game by a Buffalo quarterback since Jim Kelly in 1995.
"Even after the two games that we lost this year, I think that we are starting to develop a belief in ourselves that we got the talent, the ability to play with anyone in the league," Bledsoe said.
Buffalo set an NFL record last week by going to overtime in three of its first four games, and it tied the league record with its third straight overtime game at home. No team in history has ever reached overtime in four of five games.
STANDINGS: Raiders - 2nd place, AFC West. Bills - 3rd place, AFC East.
RAIDERS LEADERS: Offense - Gannon, 998 passing yards and 7 passing TDs; Charlie Garner, 240 rushing yards and 2 rushing TDs; Jerry Rice, 20 receptions and 263 receiving yards; Garner, Tim Brown and Jerry Porter, 2 receiving TDs. Defense - Derrick Gibson, 15 tackles; Bill Romanowski, 1½ sacks; Rod Woodson, 3 INTs.
BILLS LEADERS: Offense - Bledsoe, 1,345 passing yards and 10 passing TDs; Travis Henry, 282 rushing yards and 4 rushing TDs; Eric Moulds, 33 receptions and 413 receiving yards; Moulds and Peerless Price, 3 receiving TDs. Defense - Pierson Prioleau, 24 tackles; Aaron Schobel, 3½ sacks.
RAIDERS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 135.3 yards per game (9th in NFL); Passing Offense - 315 ypg (2nd); Total Offense - 450.3 ypg (1st). Rushing Defense - 52.7 ypg (1st); Passing Defense - 243.7 ypg (25th); Total Defense - 296.3 ypg (T-9th).
BILLS TEAM RANK: Rushing Offense - 78.8 ypg (25th); Passing Offense - 309.5 ypg (3rd); Total Offense - 388.2 ypg (6th). Rushing Defense - 125.2 ypg (23rd); Passing Defense - 199 ypg (14th); Total Defense - 324.2 ypg (15th).
LAST MEETING: Oct. 17, 1999; Raiders, 20-14. At Orchard Park, N.Y., Tyrone Wheatley rushed for 97 yards and scored two touchdowns and Oakland stopped Buffalo's last drive of the game with an interception in the end zone as time expired.
STREAKS AND NOTES: Raiders - RB Garner is tied for first in the NFL with four runs of 20 or more yards, and is tied for sixth in the league with 21 first downs. ... Oakland is one of three AFC teams to have three players with 16 or more receptions. ... Rookie CB-PR Phillip Buchanon leads the NFL with an average of 19.5 yards on punt returns. Bills - RB Henry has rushed for 469 yards and five touchdowns in his last five home games. ... WR Moulds leads the NFL with 33 catches and has an AFC-best 413 yards receiving. He has at least eight catches in each game this season. ... Buffalo's defense has held Oakland WR Rice to an average of 39.5 receiving yards per game in four meetings.
ROAD/HOME RECORDS: Raiders - 1-0 on the road; Bills - 1-1 at home.
INJURIES: Raiders - OUT: CB Charles Woodson (shoulder). QUESTIONABLE: DT Roderick Coleman (ankle/knee); G Mo Collins (knee); RB Randy Jordan (groin); T Lincoln Kennedy (concussion/foot). PROBABLE: WR James Jett (knee). Bills - PROBABLE: RB Henry (knee); TE Jay Riemersma (ankle).
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