Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. Oakland 49 @ Buffalo 31 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW Oakland Raiders: QB Rich Gannon is matched only by Donovan McNabb in Fantasy Football excellence. "All" Gannon did was throw 23 for 38 and 357 yards with three TDs. He's got great weapons. The Oakland defense is almost always playing with a lead, and that results in the Oakland defense relaxing a bit. This unit makes up for that with the big play, though. Whether its punt returns for TDs or interception returns for TDs, the Raider defense seems to come through every week with a big play. This game could be a sign of big things to come for WR Jerry Porter. Porter had a big day and caught seven balls for 117 yards and one TD. Rookie CB Philip Buchanon is something special. When Charles Woodson gets healthy, this duo will be scary. Buffalo Bills: QB Drew Bledsoe had a huge game again (32 for 53 for 417 yards and two TDs), but his three interceptions show that Bledsoe is trying to do too much. Bledsoe is clearly carrying this team. A huge day for Buffalo WRs. Peerless Price had seven catches for 126 yards and a TD. It appears as though Bledsoe looks for Price first since Moulds is often double-covered. Eric Moulds also did well with eight catches for 112 yards. This defensive unit is young - and it shows. Gannon torched the Bills' DBs for 357 yards and did not get any turnovers. The Bills also had trouble pressuring Gannon and Oakland's offensive line dominated the Bills' young defensive front. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW Oakland Raiders QB: Rich Gannon is matched only by Donovan McNabb in Fantasy Football excellence. All Gannon did was throw 23 for 38 and 357 yards with three TDs. Gannon's great day was highlighted by a rushing TD on a fake handoff bootleg. The Raiders may have the largest group of offensive talent in the NFL, and Gannon uses them all. No matter which team the Raiders face, Gannon beats them with his arm and his running. Coach Callahan is using more deep passes in this offense, and that will only make Gannon more deadly. RB: Oakland has a bunch of quality RB talent, but this Raider offense is all about Charlie Garner. Garner is a threat both on the ground and through the air. Garner had two big 36 yards runs and had one rushing TD. He nearly rushed for a second TD but was brought down at the one yard line. Proving his worth as a receiver, Garner also killed the Bills as a receiver. Garner had four catches for 83 yards - most of that yardage came on a spectacular 69 yard TD catch where Garner had lined up in the slot as a WR. The most amazing part is that Garner missed much of the fourth quarter because his hamstring was bothering him. Garner did not return after straining his hamstring, but the injury did not seem serious. Zach Crockett did the short yardage TD. WR: This game could be a sign of big things to come for Jerry Porter. Porter had a big day and caught seven balls for 117 yards and one TD. Porter is getting more and more looks in this offense - and he may be worth a Fantasy roster slot as a #3 WR. Porter is a dangerous combination of size and speed, and clearly is thriving in Coach Callahan's offense. Jerry Rice had four catches for 77 yards and one TD. Rice's day could have been much bigger had he not dropped three passes - one of them and easy TD pass. Tim Brown was relatively quiet and had four catches for 55 yards. Porter's emergence combined with Brown having to face double-coverage may continue to cut into Brown's numbers. TE: Roland Williams had only one catch for 14 yards. There just simply aren't enough passes to go around. Pass Defense: Oakland's secondary gives up a lot of yards (417 this week), but this defense has not had to play a close, low-scoring game yet. The Raiders' defense looks stout enough to play tougher in a low-scoring game, but as it is, Oakland's offense scores so much that the Oakland D plays pretty loose. On the upside, the Oakland defense makes big plays. Oakland intercepted three Bledsoe passes - including a dazzling 81 yard return for a TD by talented rookie CB Phillip Buchanon. Rush Defense: Oakland only allowed 80 yards on the ground. Though Oakland displayed poor tackling in the third quarter, Travis Henry was mostly held in check throughout the game. The Oakland front seven also pressured Bledsoe constantly - as evidenced by Bledsoe's three interceptions. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Buffalo Bills QB: Drew Bledsoe had a huge game again (32 for 53 for 417 yards and two TDs), but his three interceptions show that Bledsoe is trying to do too much. He's carrying this team. RB Travis Henry's fumbling problems in previous games have put a lot of pressure on Bledsoe, and he has excelled. RB: Travis Henry had a decent day on the ground and had 15 rushes for 58 yards and one TD. But a lot of that yardage came on one 29 yard run. Henry helped out in the passing game, catching seven balls for 47 yards. Though Henry was productive and did not fumble again, the Buffalo running game did not take enough pressure off of Bledsoe. Larry Centers got a rare rushing TD but was mostly quiet. WR: A huge day for Buffalo WRs. Peerless Price had seven catches for 126 yards and a TD. Eric Moulds also did very well with eight catches for 112 yards. He seems to draw either the best CB or double coverage which opens things up for Price. Moulds is outstanding though and even with the coverage finds a way to separate. Rookie Josh Reed had a decent game with three catches for 59 yards. This WR corps is a deadly combination of speed, size, and good hands. TE: Dave Moore seemed to be the TE of choice for Buffalo. Moore had four catches for 26 yards and a TD. Jay Riemersma was not a factor - catching only one pass for 17 yards. Riemersma also dropped a pass. Pass Defense: This unit is young - and it shows. Gannon torched the Bills' DBs for 357 yards and did not get any turnovers. The Bills' DBs did get some good hits on Raider WRs, but allowed a lot of yards and tackled poorly for most of the game. In the Bills' defense, Oakland might be the best offense in the league right now. Rush Defense: Oakland had 139 yards rushing, and it could have been much worse. Oakland is happier throwing the ball, but when the Raiders did run the ball, the Bills could not contain Charlie Garner. The Bills also had trouble pressuring Gannon and Oakland's offensive line dominated the Bills' young defensive front.