Buffalo Bills @ Las Vegas Raiders
Final Score: Bills 33, Raiders 30
Writer: Kevan Downs [kdsportsnet on Instagram]
Three Up
- Brock Bowers – A DPI away from another elite day of production. He is and will continue to be the best receiving option on this offense.
- Michael Mayer – Mayer now has at least 7 targets in 3 of 6 games to start the season. While slightly inconsistent, Mayer has firmly cemented himself as a big part of the passing offense and warrants consideration.
- Dalton Kincaid – Kincaid led the team in targets this game as he continues his strong start to the year.
ZERO Down
- I don’t have anyone to knock down this week. Both offenses played well, and the players expected to produce, produced.
Buffalo Bills
Quarterback
Josh Allen: 23/33, 255 Yards, 2 TD | 5 Carries, 1 Yard
Allen continues to spread the ball around to his plethora of receiving options. He got all of Keon Coleman, Khalil Shakir, Dalton Kincaid, and James Cook involved in the passing game on Sunday. It remains to be seen, if he ever gets DJ Moore back, if he ends up locking in more on Moore, but with his recent trends, I would expect it to stay spread around. Using his usual elusiveness and athleticism, Allen kept himself clean most of the day and wasn’t under a lot of pressure. He turned one of those avoidances into an insane touchdown pass to Coleman.
Running Back
James Cook: 22 Carries, 95 Yards, 1 TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 58 Yards
Cook was holding on to that ball for dear life. After having some issues with fumbles in recent weeks, Cook had a great day of ball security and was the most involved offensive weapon for Allen. He punched in his 6th touchdown in the first 6 games of the season, maintaining his elite goal line production that he has seen over the last couple of seasons despite Allen taking a lot of those opportunities.
James Cook (and the entire offensive line) into the end zone!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/wQ6FozTXUK
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 18, 2026
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Keon Coleman: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 59 Yards, 1 TD
While putting up inconsistent numbers week to week, Coleman has seemed to slightly separate himself from the other receiving options on the team. Coleman will continue to see the most snaps of the receiver group with his blocking ability for the run game.
JOSH ALLEN DOING JOSH ALLEN THINGS!!!!
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/F0GGilwmd6
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 18, 2026
Khalil Shakir: 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 34 Yards, 1 TD
Like the rest of the receiver group, Shakir has been slightly inconsistent with his production week to week, but there’s always that potential upside in being a Josh Allen Target. This week he was able to put one in the end zone. He may see some fewer snaps once DJ Moore is back in the lineup. It remains to be seen how much 11 personnel they play when all of the wide receivers are healthy. So far, both Kincaid and Dawson Knox have seen a lot of play.
SHAKIR SIGHTING!!!!
📺 CBS pic.twitter.com/7vB2RSbSpn
— Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) October 18, 2026
Dalton Kincaid: 8 Targets, 7 Receptions, 38 Yards
Kincaid stays the most consistent of the bunch in the Bills’ receiver group. He will be one who will see the field and see targets regardless of receiver health.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 23/41, 313 Yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Kirk has been able to make do with this Raiders offense and actually played quite well. He connects well with his big targets in Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, and their dominance will leave Kirk with plenty of opportunities for touchdown passes each week. The run game is still a work in progress to complement the pass game, but overall, Kirk’s got the offense moving better than anyone might have expected. Cousins added another 44 yards and a touchdown late in the 4th quarter when he was able to connect with Tre Tucker on a deep pass down the middle of the field. Tucker corralled it in, diving in the end zone.
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty: 10 Carries, 22 Yards, 1 TD | 6 Targets, 4 Receptions, 36 Yards
Mike Washington Jr.: 9 Carries, 43 Yards, 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Both Jeanty and Washington look like they’re going to maintain their roles ROS. Both looked good in this game; Jeanty was less efficient as a runner, but looked quite good in the passing game. Washington looked better as a runner in this game and broke free for some larger runs. On a 1st and goal from the 2, Washington got the first goal line carry, gaining 1 yard. Jeanty got the second attempt, losing 3 yards. It’ll be interesting to see if the goal-to-go carries shake up in the future.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Tre Tucker: 7 Targets, 5 Receptions, 97 Yards, 2 TD
Tucker’s reception rate leaves him slightly inconsistent week to week, but the upside warrants consideration each week. He was able to put in two scores this week, including a big bomb down the field late. Kirk has found success connecting with Tucker on both shorter routes as well as his deep downfield catches we’ve seen at a higher frequency.
Tre bien 🙂↕️#BUFvsLV | 📺 Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/NGFv5AQrDe
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 18, 2026
LET. IT. RIP. #BUFvsLV | 📺 Paramount+ pic.twitter.com/j4N1Q4y9iz
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) October 18, 2026
Michael Mayer: 9 Targets, 7 Receptions, 95 Yards
Many questioned the contract the Raiders handed Mayer at the beginning of the season, but he has proven to be worth it. Bowers returned to action sooner than people expected given the contract to Mayer, but regardless, Mayer has carved out a nice role in the offense, and Kirk has been able to connect with both of his big targets.
Brock Bowers: 9 Targets, 4 Receptions, 70 Yards
Bowers did not see a target in the first half (he technically had 1, but the defender was called for DPI), but he broke free for a handful of wide-open catches in the second half. Despite the inefficiency, he is still the most trusted pass catcher in the offense, and if you have him, you’re not even thinking about not starting him. Bowers was tackled down at the 2 yard line, nearly missing another chance to score.