NFL Football
2026-10-18 - Buffalo Bills at Las Vegas Raiders
A Sports Betting Pick by FirstDown
United States : NFL Week 6
Sunday 18th October 2026 - Scheduled 4:25pm EST
9:25pm (British Time)
Preview
There is no team in the AFC that has more wins than the Buffalo Bills (4-1) after the win in Los Angeles on Monday and they are leading the East Division over the New England Patriots. Playing on the West Coast in Week 5 and also in Week 6 means the Buffalo Bills have decided to stay within this time zone as they prepare to face the Las Vegas Raiders (3-2).
It is a surprise to see the Raiders holding a winning record through a quarter of the regular season, although Las Vegas have lost back to back games.
One of those was a blowout loss at the hands of the New England Patriots and the Raiders will be keen to offer much more resistance in this game, even in the role of a home underdog.
Fernando Mendoza was given his first NFL action in the blowout loss to the Patriots, but the Raiders are expected to stick with Kirk Cousins as the starting Quarter Back for at least one more week. The veteran has played well and given Las Vegas a chance to win games in the 2026 season, and there is little reason to believe Kirk Cousins will not be able to pile up some big numbers in this one.
The pressure will be on Kirk Cousins with the Raiders Offensive Line struggling to set up the run and now having to deal with a Buffalo Defensive Line that has proven to be pretty stout up front.
However, Kirk Cousins and the Raiders will be pretty confident they can expose the holes that have been clear to see in the Buffalo Secondary- some of the problems have come about because the Bills have not been able to generate much of a pass rush and they could have issues trying to get to Cousins before he looks to find his Receivers down the field.
Kirk Cousins has only thrown 2 Interceptions in the last four games and he will have to maintain his discipline with the ball to ensure the Raiders are in a position to push the Buffalo Bills.
Becoming one-dimensional with the play-calling is a concern for the Raiders, but that should not be an issue for the Buffalo Bills.
James Cook was reprimanded by Head Coach Joe Brady for the Fumbles that almost cost the Buffalo Bills on Monday Night Football, but the Bills Offensive Line have opened up some big running lanes, while being helped by having someone like Josh Allen at Quarter Back. The numbers have been pretty impressive when it comes to pounding the rock and the Raiders Defensive Line have been vulnerable to the run, which should be music to the Buffalo ears.
The opportunity to produce a very balanced Offensive game-plan comes from the fact that the Raiders Secondary have struggled as much as the Defensive Line have.
Teams have been able to throw the ball with real success against this Las Vegas Secondary, which is aided by a lack of pass rush up front. It is very hard to get to a Quarter Back when teams are in third and manageable spots on the field and Josh Allen and company should have considerable successes in this one.
Interceptions have been an issue, and the Bills will need to play a much cleaner game if they are going to find a way to move to 5-1 before heading into the Bye Week.
This is not going to be an easy game at all for the Buffalo Bills and playing on Monday Night Football and then having to produce in another road game is a tough test for them.
However, a balanced game-plan should give the Bills a slight advantage and they may be able to make one or two plays in the Secondary to just earn enough of an advantage to win and cover in this Week 6 game.
Prediction
Lay the points with the road favourite in this Week 6 clash.
The Pick :
Las Vegas Raiders 24-31 Buffalo Bills
