Oakland Raiders v Buffalo Bills: Five Things That Must Happen To Win

The Oakland Raiders got a big win over the Chiefs, but their work is only beginning – let’s take a look at a few things that must happen when they take on the Bills.

The Oakland Raiders snapped a four-game losing streak last week in the most dramatic fashion possible – a touchdown to tie it up and an extra point to win it on an untimed down after a defensive penalty. It was actually the second bite they got at that apple, thanks to defensive penalties.

But, no matter how it came about, the Raiders did what they seemingly haven’t been able to do the four games prior – use the opportunity they were given to their advantage and snag a win.

There really is no way you can possibly understate the enormity of that win over the Chiefs. It was absolutely critical that they got that game. While it obviously guarantees them nothing moving forward, and if they want a crack at the postseason, they’re going to have to be almost flawless the rest of the way, it did save the season – in a sense.

The win raised Oakland to a 3-4 record, which is still well below where most everybody thought they’d be when the season started, but it’s a much simpler hole to climb out of than if they’d lost and dropped to 2-5 on the year.

And for what was perhaps, the first time this season, we saw an Oakland Raiders offense that was as potent as last year’s incarnation.

If you recall, last season’s offensive unit – under Bill Musgrave of all people – ranked sixth in the NFL. Under supposed wunderkind Todd Downing, Oakland’s offense dropped like a stone – all the way down to the league’s thirtieth-ranked unit.

But against the Chiefs, we saw a Raiders offense that had been unleashed and was explosive – even teasing that this could be a more potent and dangerous offense than last year’s unit.

We saw some great things in last week’s win. But, let’s not put the cart before the horse. As great and important as it was, it was just one win. The Raiders are going to need to continue playing at that level from here on out if they want to expand upon the success of last year’s team.

With that in mind, as they take on the Buffalo Bills this weekend, there are a few things this team absolutely must do…