The Buffalo Bills and their fans have taken Sin City by storm this weekend ahead of a Week 6 date with Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium Sunday afternoon. The Bills and Raiders will renew their AFL-rooted rivalry this weekend for the first time since the 2023 NFL season.
To get us ready for Sunday afternoon, I spoke with Matt Holder, who writes for Silver And Black Pride. An analytics guru with a great first name who has a wealth of experience in covering the Raiders and football, Matt Holder was
very generous with his time this week to chat Bills-Raiders ahead of the big game. I highly recommend checking his work out in several arenas, which includes Pro Football Focus.
Below, Matt and I talked shop about the Raiders, an ascending team that seems to have figured out things at head coach. Read on to find out all Matt had to say about first-time head coach Klint Kubiak, what makes tight end Brock Bowers and Las Vegas’ passing attack tick, and whether or not a shake-up is coming along the offensive line in Week 6.
Additionally, we also cover ground on how best to attack the Raiders’ defense, and the best method to defend against LV’s offense. Plus, Matt lets us know the one key to victory should the Raiders find opportunity. My responses to Matt’s questions about the Bills can be found over at Silver And Black Pride.
1. The Raiders surprised many with their 3-0 start. Now at 3-2, what has the addition of Klint Kubiak meant for LV — and what’s different about this team that they can build on toward sustained success?
Kubiak has changed the culture pretty quickly, and the results are showing on the field. The Raiders’ roster isn’t all that talented, but the team was doing the little things right to win games that many (myself included) didn’t think they were going to win heading into the year. It was pretty clear the team was much more well coached than they’ve been in the past, which gives confidence that the franchise has ended its long-time search for a long-term head coach. However, last week’s loss was pretty embarrassing and kind of felt like a reality check, so Kubiak still has plenty to prove in Las Vegas.
2. The Bills have struggled to stop teams’ passing attacks in 2026, with Brock Bowers and the Raiders’ eighth-ranked passing offense up next. How do the Raiders utilize Bowers and what else is key to powering their passing attack in tandem with Kirk Cousins?
They aren’t the same type of player, so this isn’t a one-for-one comparison, but Kubiak is using Bowers similarly to what he did with Jaxon Smith-Njigba in Seattle last year. The 2025 Offensive Player of the Year would line up all over the Seahawks’ offense so that he could get favorable matchups. We haven’t seen Bowers deployed quite as diversely as JSN was a year ago, but he’s also only played in two games under Kubiak so far and is constantly at different alignments.
It’s funny, despite being labeled as a “tight end”, the “football robot from heaven” has only been in-line on 13.6% of his pass snaps, per Pro Football Focus. It’s kind of like how Sean Payton used to use Jimmy Graham, where Graham was split out wide so much that he tried to get wide receiver money when the Saints put the franchise tag on him back in 2014.
Part of this is because Cousins has been either staring Bowers down (hard to blame him) or checking the ball down, but the Raiders are still looking for someone else to step up in the passing game. Wide receiver Tre Tucker can be a good deep threat, and he’s had one big game with five catches for 119 yards and a 40-yard touchdown in Week 2 but hasn’t done much outside of that. Tight end Michael Mayer and running back Ashton Jeanty would be the next in line since they can move the chains with their YAC skills, giving Cousins those check-down options.
3. Much has been made of the Raiders’ offensive line woes, with Kubiak even hinting at possible personnel changes. What’s gone wrong with the o-line and what, if anything, changes about LV’s offense with different in-house o-line personnel starting against the Bills?
My hope is that they’re replacing starting left guard Spencer Burford. It’s funny you ask; my mailbag column that published on Saturday touched on this topic. Basically, he’s been the worst starting guard in the league when it comes to pass protection and is only average as a run blocker, which is causing problems with left tackle Kolton Miller, too. On top of that, right guard Jackson Powers-Johnson has been very inconsistent throughout his career and could also be on the chopping block, while center Tyler Linderbaum has been underwhelming. Linderbaum hasn’t been bad and isn’t getting replaced; he just hasn’t lived up to the historic contract he signed in the offseason.
If Kubiak does make a change up front, second-year pro Caleb Rogers could slide in at right guard and rookie Trey Zuhn III could be on the left. Rogers got some action as a rookie last year and was solid, but he started in Week 4 against the Chiefs this season and had a tough time with Chris Jones. Meanwhile, Zuhn was cross-trained at nearly every offensive line position during training camp but has only been a jumbo tight end during the last few games and is questionable with an injury.
4. If you were game-planning against LV, what might film study have shown to be the best method when attacking their defense and defending against the Raiders’ offense?
Defensively, the Raiders are very turnover-reliant. The unit doesn’t have a ton of talent, and first-time defensive coordinator Rob Leonard has become a little predictable as a play caller. Leonard is running a variation of Mike Macdonald’s defense, but he’s still figuring out how to keep offenses on their toes. Vegas’ defense was able to create nine turnovers in the first three weeks of the season, but has just one during the two-game losing streak and has given up 75 points. If the Bills are safe with the ball, Josh Allen and Co. should have no problem putting points on the board.
Offensively, loading up the box and getting pressure on Cousins has been the best formula so far. Kubiak is a good enough play caller to scheme his way out of it occasionally, but the offense is limited with Cousins’ lack of mobility and arm strength. He might beat you over the top on a few throws, but if the pass rush can heat him up, he’ll check it down or take a sack. In the running game, the offensive line isn’t good enough to handle loaded boxes and blitzes, while Ashton Jeanty isn’t 100% and hasn’t proven to be a back who can overcome some shortcomings up front.
5. What has to happen for the Raiders to defeat the Bills in Week 6?
It goes back to my previous answer: create turnovers.
I think the Raiders are going to have a tough time stopping Allen and the Bills’ offense, and the other side of the ball just doesn’t have enough firepower to keep up right now. But if the defense can get a few stops by getting Allen to play hero ball or force it down the field, and then punch the ball out from James Cook, the offense should have plenty of opportunities to at least stay within striking distance and put up points on a Bills defense that has struggled to begin the year.
Keep an eye out for linebacker Nakobe Dean, who has forced three fumbles already this season.
My thanks to Matt Holder for a tremendous discussion this week. You can check out more of his featured work at Silver And Black Pride, as well several additional outlets. Be sure to check out my Bills-focused side of the conversation over at Silver And Black Pride.
