ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. _ One of the teams at New Era Field came into the season as Super Bowl contender. The other, an NFL afterthought.
You couldn't tell which was which Sunday.
The Bills aren't thought to be near the pinnacle of the NFL just yet, but they're now 5-2 while the Raiders certainly look the part of an afterthought.
A dreadful offensive showing doomed Oakland yet again. A 34-14 loss dropped the Raiders to 3-5, more losses than they had last season, their playoff hopes, let alone Super Bowl chances, fading farther and farther from sight.
For the third time this season, the Raiders scored on their first drive of the season. In Weeks 1 and 7, Amari Cooper found the end zone to start the game. Both times the Raiders won. On Sunday, Jamize Olawale scored from one yard out to put Oakland up a touchdown on drive No. 1. Then the offense disappeared.
Todd Downing strayed away from double-digit yardage plays to receivers and resorted to dinking-and-dunking with Jalen Richard and DeAndre Washington. The Raiders suffered as a result, and the Bills responded after a stagnant offensive start. With the help of the shifty LeSean McCoy, Buffalo moved the ball downfield, tying the game on a six-yard touchdown catch by former raider Andre Holmes. And when Washington coughed up the ball after a short reception, rookie linebacker Matt Milano took it 40 yards to the house with under a minute left. Bills 14, Raiders 7.
Even when the Raiders needed a bomb, with the ball on the Bills' 47 and two seconds left in the half, Derek Carr dumped off to Richard for only 15 yards.
Milano wreaked havoc again to start the second half, when he recovered a Richard fumble on a Colton Schmidt punt. Despite starting at Oakland's 15, the Bills settled for a Stephen Hauschka field goal to stretch their lead to 10.
As if it couldn't get any worse for a suddenly abysmal Raiders offense, Carr's pass intended for Michael Crabtree on the next drive was tipped by Preston Brown and corralled by Micah Hyde for the safety's league-leading fifth interception. Already through eight games this season, Carr has six interceptions, matching his 2016 total.
Up 20-7 and facing a fourth-and-goal from the one-yard line, Buffalo went for the knockout punch to start the fourth. Tyrod Taylor crossed the plane before the ball was jarred loose by NaVorro Bowman, widening the lead to 20. Finally the Oakland offense generated something of substance, a four-yard passing touchdown to Washington, but it was too late.
Sooner rather than later, it may also be too late for the Raiders.
