By Elliot Harrison
Oakland Raiders 29, Buffalo Bills 24
Sunday, 4:05 p.m. ET, CBS
Can Derek Carr pull off the win in the "Return of the Jedi" glove for a second straight week? Yep. Buffalo's pass defense has been viable (eighth in the NFL), but that doesn't mean Carr won't be able to exploit the unit. His offensive line protects him better than any other quarterback in the league, save for maybe Dak Prescott in Dallas. Not to mention, the Bills have benefitted from facing Jacoby Brissett, Case Keenum, and Colin Kaepernick (in his first start in a year). If tight end Clive Walford shows up like he did versus the Panthers, Dennis Thurman's unit could find itself searching for answers. Spoke with #BillsMafia superfan @PECrawleyNFL. He thinks Buffalo wins this West Coast deal based on matchups (... before losing next week versus the Steelers). As you can see, I respectfully disagree. Who you got? (@HarrisonNFL) #BUFvsOAK
By Mike Florio
Bills at Raiders
MDS's take:The Bills may need to run the table to get to the playoffs. After the Raiders beat them on Sunday, Rex Ryan's job security will be hanging by a thread.
MDS's pick: Raiders 24, Bills 21.
Florio's take:The Raiders play up and down to the level of the competition, which gives Buffalo an opening to steal this one — especially if the Raiders are peeking ahead at their Thursday night showdown in Kansas City.
Florio's pick: Bills 27, Raiders 24.
**[
New York Times](http://www.nytimes.com/2016/12/02/sports/football/nfl-schedule-predictions-spread.html?rref=collection/sectioncollection/football&action=click&contentCollection=football®ion=stream&module=streamunit&version=latest&contentPlacement=2&pgtype=sectionfront&r=0)**
By David White
Bills (6-5) at Raiders (9-2)
The Raiders have won five straight games. They lead the top-heavy A.F.C. West. Their quarterback, Derek Carr, is so polite that he smiles and thanks reporters when they ask about his injured right pinkie. What's not to love about the team that used to be an emblem of deviltry and dysfunction?
Well, Buffalo Coach Rex Ryan might tell you. The Raiders did fire his twin, Rob, as defensive coordinator a few years back, and the Ryans love to keep all of their axes properly ground. A Bills team that won at New England in Week 4 has just enough running game to pull off another upset.
Pick: Bills
By Chris Simms
When: Sunday at 4:05 p.m. ET (CBS)
Oakland's run defense has been a bit better of late.
Now the ultimate test: LeSean McCoy, fresh off a game in which he broke a 75-yard run. That's the kind of chunk play that has plagued the Silver and Black since Week 1.
Coach Jack Del Rio should be game for another challenge. I see him deploying nine defenders to stop McCoy and leaving his two most athletic ones—Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin—as buffers against Tyrod Taylor keepers. It's wild enough to work.
Oakland's passing game should work too. Amari Cooper won't have back-to-back down weeks against Buffalo's press-man defense. The same goes for Michael Crabtree and his physical red-zone play. Both guys go off for Derek Carr in Week 13.
Prediction: Raiders 27, Bills 20
By Pete Prisco
Oakland Raiders 33, Buffalo Bills 28
This is a long road trip for the Bills to face a good team. The injury status for Raiders quarterback Derek Carr, who injured a finger against Carolina on Sunday, needs to be watched. I think he plays, and if he does, I think the Raiders win a shootout.
**[
Sporting News](http://www.sportingnews.com/nfl/list/week-13-picks-straight-up-cowboys-vikings-dak-prescott-sam-bradford/x3ditisewkkn1k25r86vqgsza/slide/10)**
By David Steele
Buffalo Bills (6-5) at Oakland Raiders (9-2)
Sunday, 4:05 p.m., CBS
Beating the Raiders in Oakland would fit the Bills' unpredictable season perfectly — and it's far from out of the question with how the Raiders' defense is playing. But as long as Derek Carr has at least nine fingers that aren't nauseating to look at, he's going to win any potential shootout with the Bills. This is still a severe test for a team that's close enough to greatness to touch it. Raiders, 32-26
By Eric Eager
Bills at Raiders
Prediction: Raiders win by 7
A big wildcard in this game is the health of QB Derek Carr, whose injury against the Panthers took that game from an easy cover for Oakland to a backdoor cover for the Panthers. If he's near his peak, this game looks troubling for the Bills, where their strength (the league's 10th-highest-graded pass-rush) should be neutralized by the Raiders' third-most-efficient pass-blocking offensive line. After playing strongly a year ago, the Bills' cornerbacks have not had a good second season together, with Ronald Darby (73.6) and Stephon Gilmore (69.8) surrendering a total of 1,100 yards into their coverage so far (last year, they allowed just 1,326 all season as a pair). Our model has been bullish on the Raiders all year, and nothing changes in this one.
