NFL Betting Picks: McFadden and the Raiders Run Over Bills In Buffalo
Wednesday, September 14, 2011
by BetOnline Sportsbook
NFL betting players can catch a Week 2 meeting between a pair of teams who played above expectations in their season opener, and they’ll look to keep the momentum rolling when Oakland Raiders heads to Buffalo Bills on Sunday. The ground game will be the difference, and the Raiders will grind out a tough victory on the road for the second straight week.
What: NFL Betting
When: Sunday, September 18th, 1:00 PM ET
Where: Ralph Wilson Stadium, Buffalo, NY
Bet Online Sportsbook Pick: Oakland Raiders
Why Bet On Oakland Raiders
The Oakland Raiders held on to a 16-3 halftime lead to edge Denver 23-20 on the road in their opener, and the difference was a 63-yard field goal from Sebastian Janikowski that tied the NFL record. The offense looked aggressive, and they can open it up more as Darren McFadden ran for 150 yards, while Jason Campbell was 13-of-22 for 105 yards and a score and as the season goes on you can expect head coach Hue Jackson to take some more risks.
The defense allowed 38 rushing yards against the Broncos and forced three turnovers on the day, along with five sacks, including two from Richard Seymour. It was a very impressive start to the season in all three facets for Oakland, who are aiming to supplant Kansas City as the main thorns in San Diego’s side out in the AFC West.
But it wasn’t all good for the Raiders, who committed 15 penalties in what was a chippy and sloppy game between a pair of rivals that were sometimes more interested in getting in that extra shot after the whistle. They have the Broncos six first downs because of flags, and after they led the NFL in penalties in 2010 (Oakland had the most penalties of any team in the league since 1998), the Raiders simply can’t afford to give away that many chances. Oakland also allowed a 90-yard punt return early in the third quarter to let Denver back into the game, so punt coverage will be worked on this week in practice. Finally, the Raiders could go into this game lacking a couple of receivers as Louis Murphy (groin) missed the Denver game, and Jacory Ford (hamstring) left in the third quarter.
Why Bet On Buffalo Bills
No NFL betting player in their right mind foresaw a 41-7 thrashing of the Chiefs in Kansas City for the Bills, who were up 20-0 in the second quarter before the home team even knew what was going on. Ryan Fitzpatrick was 17-of-25 for 208 yards and four touchdowns on the day, including a pair to tight end Scott Chandler, while Fred Jackson ran for 112 yards to pace the Bills, who had 163 yards on the ground overall. The Bills were also surgical in the red zone, scoring on four of five attempts, and they can only pray to have this type of game again, where everything went right.
Defensively, the Buffalo Bills forced three turnovers out of a Kansas City team that is generally good when it comes to taking care of the ball, and they held the vaunted Chiefs running game to 108 yards. The Buffalo Bills did a good job of getting out to a big lead and taking Kansas City out of their comfort zone, which was running the ball.
There really isn’t much to pick out in terms of negatives for the Bills in this game; their major concern now will be replicating this type of performance from week to week, which has been a problem in the past. There was only one major injury from the Kansas City game, which was to cornerback Terrence McGee. The veteran corner left with a hamstring injury and is going to be out for a few weeks, so the Bills have some depth issues on the corners.
How It Will Play Out
The Bills should be the NFL betting favorites in Buffalo, but the Raiders are 4-1 SU and ATS in their last five meetings since 1999, with three games going over the posted total. The Raiders lost 24-23 in Buffalo in 2008 when the two last met, and this game figures to be close as well as both teams are coming off solid performances.
Lean towards the Raiders away from home as they have a run defense that can slow down Jackson, leaving the game in Fitzpatrick’s hands and he has to prove that he can be consistent, which he has never done before. When the Raiders have the ball, look for them to run the ball down Buffalo’s throat with McFadden, and Oakland gets the edge in that area, if they can manage to avoid flags. Place a wager on Oakland in your Football betting picks.
Bet Online Sportsbook Raiders vs Bills Betting Pick: The Raiders
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buffalo bills - darren mcfadden - fred jackson - hue jackson - jacory ford - jason campbell - louis murphy - nfl betting - nfl betting - oakland raiders
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