The Buffalo Bills were expected to be one of the best teams in the AFC, while the Las Vegas Raiders were, well ... not. However, the Raiders have surprised everyone and started the season 3-0. 

Their hot start has cooled down a bit, thanks to facing some heavy hitters in the conference. They lost their last two games, first falling to the Kansas City Chiefs,30-27, in a hard-fought AFC West battle. Last week, they struggled against the defending AFC Champion New England Patriots, losing 45-17 and showing cracks in their unlikely season.

The Bills can relate to Vegas' last loss, because Buffalo's only defeat this season came against their AFC East rival. Buffalo lost to the Patriots 29-26 in Week 4.

Last week, the Bills squeaked out a win against the Los Angeles Rams in overtime, with a blocked kick saving the game for Buffalo.

Bills vs. Raiders: need to know

Ball security: The Bills do well in many categories, but turnovers have been an issue lately. Bills have nine turnovers in the last three games, with four coming from Josh Allen. Last week, running back James Cook had a crucial turnover in overtime, and while it worked out in the end, it did add to the turnover problem building on Buffalo's offense. The Bills' turnover differential is -4, and the Raiders' is +3. 

Offenses by the numbers: The Raiders' numbers are superior to the Bills' in the pass game, but Buffalo has them beat in the run game. The Raiders are seventh in the league in passing yards (1,317), while the Bills are 11th (1,249). Las Vegas is second in passing touchdowns (12), while the Bills are in the middle of the pack in the category (7). The Bills excel in rushing yards, ranking fourth in the NFL (790) and leading the NFL in rushing touchdowns (13). The Raiders have the fifth-fewest yards on the ground (410) and are toward the bottom in rushing touchdowns (2). Buffalo is tied for average points per game at 32.8. 

Defenses by the numbers: The Bills have the second-worst pass defense in the league in terms of yards allowed (1,479), while the Raiders are fourth-worst in rushing yards allowed (703). Raiders Maxx Crosby is tied for third-most quarterback pressures in the NFL (36) and Vegas' 10 takeaways are tied for most in the league. 

Bills vs. Raiders: where to watch

Date: Sunday, Oct. 18 | Time: 4:25 p.m. ET
Location: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas)
TV: CBS | Stream: Paramount+
Follow: CBS Sports App
Odds: Bills -5.5 (via DraftKings)

Bills vs. Raiders prediction

The Raiders were put in a difficult stretch, facing the Chiefs, Patriots and Bills back-to-back-to-back. While Vegas got off to a solid start this season, I think their recent stretch is a bit too much for them to attack. I think the last two losses may be hard to shake off. I think the Bills will start to shake off their ball security problems and Allen just seems to be unstoppable, even when he is committing turnovers. I'm picking the Bills here, but I think the Raiders will have a good fight in them.  Pick: Bills 31, Raiders 24