Raiders vs Bills: position-group matchup

The biggest mismatch: the Bills run game (1st) against the Raiders run defense (20th).

On paper

4 games in. Samples are still small, so a rank can move a lot in a week. Ranks are out of 32 teams and 1st is always best, on offense and defense alike.

Raiders

pairings with the edge

Bills

pairings with the edge

of 8

On paper, the Raiders hold the edge across the position groups.

Bills big edge
Bills run game (1st) against the Raiders run defense (20th)
Raiders big edge
Raiders pass rush (2nd) against the Bills pass protection (14th)
Raiders big edge
Raiders receiving corps (13th) against the Bills pass coverage (26th)
Bills edge
Bills run defense (17th) against the Raiders run game (30th)

Position group by position group

Each offense against the other team's defense, one position group at a time. Circle: the offense. Diamond: the defense. Whoever sits further right wins that pairing.

Raiders offense vs Bills defense

Pass protection vs pass rush
Bills edge
WeakestBest
The Raiders pass protection ranks 16th. The Bills pass rush ranks 8th.
Raiders report: Jackson Powers-Johnson (G, out, groin)
The numbers and the players
Raiders pass protection
- Sacks allowed per dropback3.3% (3rd)
- Pressure allowed per dropback26% (28th)
- Spencer Burford (G) 100% of snaps
- Delmar Glaze (T) 100% of snaps
- Tyler Linderbaum (C) 100% of snaps
- Kolton Miller (T) 100% of snaps
- Jackson Powers-Johnson (G) 98% of snaps
Bills pass rush
- Sacks per dropback6.0% (16th)
- Pressure per dropback33% (4th)
- Quarterback hits per dropback19.3% (5th)
- Gregory Rousseau (LB) 22 pressures, 6 sacks
- Bradley Chubb (LB) 10 pressures, 1.5 sacks
- Deone Walker (DL) 7 pressures, 1 sacks
Run game vs run defense
Bills edge
WeakestBest
The Raiders run game ranks 30th. The Bills run defense ranks 17th.
Raiders report: Jackson Powers-Johnson (G, out, groin)
The numbers and the players
Raiders run game
- Points added per run−0.20 (28th)
- Runs that keep the drive on track34% (27th)
- Rushing yards after contact1.7 (15th)
- Runs of 10+ yards7.5% (20th)
- Rushing yards before contact1.4 (32nd)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line27% (32nd)
- Ashton Jeanty (RB) −0.28 per run on 77
- Mike Washington Jr. (RB) −0.09 per run on 24
- Spencer Burford (G) 100% of snaps
- Delmar Glaze (T) 100% of snaps
- Tyler Linderbaum (C) 100% of snaps
- Kolton Miller (T) 100% of snaps
- Jackson Powers-Johnson (G) 98% of snaps
Bills run defense
- Points allowed per run−0.05 (20th)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line25% (2nd)
- Runs of 10+ yards allowed9.8% (18th)
- Missed tackles11.2% (26th)
- Dorian Williams (LB) 32 tackles, 3 missed
- Terrel Bernard (LB) 29 tackles, 5 missed
Quarterback vs coverage
Raiders edge
WeakestBest
The Raiders quarterback play ranks 14th. The Bills pass coverage ranks 27th.
Bills report: Christian Benford (CB, questionable, toe)
The numbers and the players
Raiders quarterback play
- Points added per dropback+0.15 (11th)
- Completions above expected+1.9 (15th)
- Interceptions per throw2.7% (25th)
- Passes of 20+ yards per dropback8.6% (11th)
- Kirk Cousins (QB) +0.15 per dropback on 148
Bills pass coverage
- Points allowed per throw+0.14 (26th)
- Completions allowed above expected+2.3 (22nd)
- Interceptions per throw1.3% (23rd)
- Christian Benford (CB) 116.0 passer rating allowed on 20 targets
- Maxwell Hairston (CB) 100.6 passer rating allowed on 20 targets
Receivers vs coverage
Raiders big edge
WeakestBest
The Raiders receiving corps ranks 13th. The Bills pass coverage ranks 26th.
Bills report: Christian Benford (CB, questionable, toe)
The numbers and the players
Raiders receiving corps
- Points added per target+0.24 (14th)
- Yards after the catch4.0 (25th)
- Drops per target2.2% (7th)
- Tackles broken per catch5.4% (11th)
- Ashton Jeanty (RB) −0.06 per target on 25
- Brock Bowers (TE) +0.57 per target on 24
- Michael Mayer (TE) +0.26 per target on 24
Bills pass coverage
- Passes of 20+ yards allowed10.2% (26th)
- Passer rating allowed103.3 (26th)
- Points allowed per throw+0.14 (26th)
- Christian Benford (CB) 116.0 passer rating allowed on 20 targets
- Maxwell Hairston (CB) 100.6 passer rating allowed on 20 targets

Bills offense vs Raiders defense

Pass protection vs pass rush
Raiders big edge
WeakestBest
The Bills pass protection ranks 14th. The Raiders pass rush ranks 2nd.
The numbers and the players
Bills pass protection
- Sacks allowed per dropback6.7% (19th)
- Pressure allowed per dropback22% (12th)
- Alec Anderson (C) 100% of snaps
- Spencer Brown (T) 100% of snaps
- Connor McGovern (C) 100% of snaps
- Dion Dawkins (T) 100% of snaps
- O'Cyrus Torrence (G) 100% of snaps
Raiders pass rush
- Sacks per dropback8.2% (5th)
- Pressure per dropback38% (2nd)
- Quarterback hits per dropback21.9% (2nd)
- Maxx Crosby (DE) 18 pressures, 2 sacks
- Kwity Paye (DE) 7 pressures, 2 sacks
- Malcolm Koonce (DE) 6 pressures, 2.5 sacks
Run game vs run defense
Bills big edge
WeakestBest
The Bills run game ranks 1st. The Raiders run defense ranks 20th.
The numbers and the players
Bills run game
- Points added per run+0.07 (4th)
- Runs that keep the drive on track52% (1st)
- Rushing yards after contact1.5 (17th)
- Runs of 10+ yards15.8% (1st)
- Rushing yards before contact3.5 (1st)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line11% (2nd)
- James Cook (RB) +0.12 per run on 68
- Josh Allen (QB) +0.13 per run on 20
- Alec Anderson (C) 100% of snaps
- Spencer Brown (T) 100% of snaps
- Connor McGovern (C) 100% of snaps
- Dion Dawkins (T) 100% of snaps
- O'Cyrus Torrence (G) 100% of snaps
Raiders run defense
- Points allowed per run−0.15 (8th)
- Runs stopped at or behind the line18% (16th)
- Runs of 10+ yards allowed11.6% (27th)
- Missed tackles9.4% (23rd)
- Nakobe Dean (LB) 33 tackles, 7 missed
- Quay Walker (LB) 30 tackles, 2 missed
Quarterback vs coverage
Raiders edge
WeakestBest
The Bills quarterback play ranks 7th. The Raiders pass coverage ranks 2nd.
The numbers and the players
Bills quarterback play
- Points added per dropback+0.21 (7th)
- Completions above expected+5.5 (6th)
- Interceptions per throw2.3% (22nd)
- Passes of 20+ yards per dropback11.8% (1st)
- Josh Allen (QB) +0.17 per dropback on 129
Raiders pass coverage
- Points allowed per throw−0.15 (3rd)
- Completions allowed above expected−4.1 (4th)
- Interceptions per throw2.9% (7th)
- Eric Stokes (CB) 87.5 passer rating allowed on 22 targets
- Hezekiah Masses (CB) 42.9 passer rating allowed on 20 targets
Receivers vs coverage
Even
WeakestBest
The Bills receiving corps ranks 5th. The Raiders pass coverage ranks 4th.
The numbers and the players
Bills receiving corps
- Points added per target+0.38 (4th)
- Yards after the catch5.1 (12th)
- Drops per target3.5% (15th)
- Tackles broken per catch7.7% (7th)
- Khalil Shakir (WR) +0.07 per target on 23
- DJ Moore (WR) +0.32 per target on 20
- Dalton Kincaid (TE) +0.62 per target on 19
Raiders pass coverage
- Passes of 20+ yards allowed6.2% (7th)
- Passer rating allowed88.9 (12th)
- Points allowed per throw−0.15 (3rd)
- Eric Stokes (CB) 87.5 passer rating allowed on 22 targets
- Hezekiah Masses (CB) 42.9 passer rating allowed on 20 targets

Tale of the tape

Every unit on its own, side by side.

RaidersBills

14th
QuarterbackOffense
7th
29th
Offensive lineOffense
3rd
13th
ReceiversOffense
5th
24th
Run gameOffense
4th
2nd
Pass rushDefense
7th
20th
Run defenseDefense
17th
4th
Pass coverageDefense
26th

Longer bar is better. Each unit is graded on the stats shown in the pairings above, ranked among all 32 teams.

How these grades are calculated

Each position group is judged on three to five plain stats, listed below. All of them are per play or per throw, never season totals.
Every stat is ranked across all 32 teams, 1st to 32th, the right way round (fewer drops is better, more pressure is better for a pass rush).
A rank becomes a score from 0 to 100, with 1st at 100 and last at 0. The group's grade is the average of its stats' scores.
Teams are ranked by that grade, and that rank is the number on the cards.

For example, the Bills pass coverage is 26th. Its stats rank 26th (points allowed per throw), 22nd (completions allowed above expected), 26th (passes of 20+ yards allowed), 23rd (interceptions per throw), and 26th (passer rating allowed). Averaged, that is a grade of 24 out of 100, which is 26th among the 32 teams.

This is why a grade can disagree with a total or with another site's rating. A team can rank high in rushing yards because it carries the ball a lot or trails late, and still rank low here because each run adds little. Film grades, like PFF's, come from watching every player on every snap, and these do not. Early in the season a few plays can move a rank a lot.

Quarterback: points added per dropback, completions above expected, interceptions per throw, passes of 20+ yards per dropback
Offensive line: sacks allowed per dropback, pressure allowed per dropback, rushing yards before contact, runs stopped at or behind the line
Receivers: points added per target, yards after the catch, drops per target, tackles broken per catch
Run game: points added per run, runs that keep the drive on track, rushing yards after contact, runs of 10+ yards
Pass rush: sacks per dropback, pressure per dropback, quarterback hits per dropback
Run defense: points allowed per run, runs stopped at or behind the line, runs of 10+ yards allowed, missed tackles
Pass coverage: points allowed per throw, completions allowed above expected, passes of 20+ yards allowed, interceptions per throw, passer rating allowed

The coaches

Records are regular-season games since 1999, against the spread as listed by the games file. A new coach has no history here yet.

Measure	Raiders	Bills
Head coach	Klint Kubiak	Sean McDermott
Record as a head coach	3-1 in 4 games (first year)	101-51 in 152 games
With this team	3-1 since 2026	101-51 since 2017
Against the spread, this season	4-0	3-1
Against the spread, career	4-0	81-65-6
Against the spread as an underdog	3-0	26-20-2
Against the spread as a favorite	1-0	55-45-4
Coming off a bye	none yet	9-0
Head coach against head coach	Have not met	Have not met
Team against team since 1999	6-5	5-6

Last meetings, newest first: Raiders 10-38 (2023 Wk 2) · Raiders 23-30 (2020 Wk 4) · Raiders 14-34 (2017 Wk 8) · Raiders 38-24 (2016 Wk 13) · Raiders 26-24 (2014 Wk 16)

How each team plays

Not good or bad, just the style. Ranks go from the highest rate down, so a 1st means the most of it in the league.

How the offenses like to play

Pass rate over expected
Raiders −2.8 pts (19th highest)
Bills −1.4 pts (14th highest)
Play-action share of dropbacks
Raiders 25% (13th highest)
Bills 30% (6th highest) — leans on play-action
Plays with pre-snap motion
Raiders 66% (6th highest) — moves players before almost every snap
Bills 66% (5th highest) — moves players before almost every snap
No-huddle plays
Raiders 4% (22nd highest)
Bills 4% (21st highest)
Plays from the shotgun
Raiders 51% (26th highest) — stays under center
Bills 45% (31st highest) — stays under center

How the defenses like to play

Blitz rate
Raiders 25% (23rd highest)
Bills 33% (12th highest)
Pass rushers sent
Raiders 4.3 (24th highest)
Bills 4.3 (17th highest)
Runs against a loaded box (8+)
Raiders 9% (15th highest)
Bills 20% (3rd highest) — stacks the box against the run

Who is missing

The latest injury report for each team, sorted by position group. A starter averaged more than half the team's snaps in the games he played.

Raiders

Jackson Powers-Johnson GStarterOut · groin · offensive line
Aidan O'Connell QBQuestionable · not injury related - personal matter · quarterback
Brock Bowers TEStarterLimited in practice · receivers
Cody White WRLimited in practice · receivers

Bills

T.J. Sanders DEDoubtful · illness · pass rush
Christian Benford CBStarterQuestionable · toe · pass coverage
Ray Davis RBQuestionable · hamstring · run game
Terrel Bernard LBStarterDid not practice · run defense
Sam Franklin Jr. SDid not practice · pass coverage
Keon Coleman WRStarterLimited in practice · receivers
DJ Moore WRLimited in practice · receivers
Damar Hamlin SLimited in practice · pass coverage

← All 32 teams

Data: nflverse play-by-play, CC BY 4.0. Ranks use the 2026 regular season through Week 4. Also FTN charting, Pro Football Reference advanced stats, snap counts and injury reports, all through nflverse. Calculations and charts by Raiders Rundown.

Raiders vs Bills: position-group matchup

On paper

Bills run game (1st) against the Raiders run defense (20th)

Raiders pass rush (2nd) against the Bills pass protection (14th)

Raiders receiving corps (13th) against the Bills pass coverage (26th)

Bills run defense (17th) against the Raiders run game (30th)

Position group by position group

Raiders offense vs Bills defense

Pass protection vs pass rush

Run game vs run defense

Quarterback vs coverage

Receivers vs coverage

Bills offense vs Raiders defense

Pass protection vs pass rush

Run game vs run defense

Quarterback vs coverage

Receivers vs coverage

Tale of the tape

The coaches

How each team plays

Who is missing

Raiders

Bills