The Las Vegas Raiders Week 2 game against the Buffalo Bills could tell us a lot about the team's chances of making a surprise playoff run in 2023. Ahead of the Raiders-Bills game, our Raiders Week 2 predictions suggest that Las Vegas won't challenge one of the NFL's top contenders.

The Raiders defeated the Denver Broncos 17-16, pulling off a Week 1 upset. No matter how poorly Denver played last year, it was an impressive win for Las Vegas. The Raiders defeated a division rival on the road and survived a strong first half from Russell Wilson. Jimmy Garoppolo completed 20 of 26 pass attempts in his Raiders' debut. Garoppolo only threw for 200 yards, but there's no doubt that he was better than Josh Allen in the Bills Week 1 game.

Allen was most responsible for the Bills' Week 1 loss against the New York Jets. Buffalo seemingly should've rolled past New York when Aaron Rodgers tore his Achilles just four plays into his Jets career, deflating the entire MetLife crowd. Instead, Allen kept New York afloat with three interceptions and a lost fumble. The Bills were defeated 22-16 and must beat the Raiders in order to avoid an 0-2 start.

The betting odds suggest that Week 1 was an aberration. The Bills are favored by 9.5 points over the Raiders at FanDuel Sportsbook. Will Buffalo take care of business in its home opener, or will the Raiders' Week 2 game prove that our expectations for both teams need to be adjusted?

Let's take a look at three bold Raiders predictions for Week 2. Note that these are bold predictions. It isn't likely that all three will come to fruition, but they have a better chance of occurring than what the odds indicate.

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3. Las Vegas Raiders QB Jimmy Garoppolo will have less than 200 passing yards and more interceptions than touchdowns

Credit to Garoppolo for how well he played against the Broncos on the road. Let's see him do it for a second week in a row. Josh McDaniels won't have an entire offseason to prepare for Buffalo the way he did with Denver. There's a good chance that Jakobi Meyers won't play because of a concussion. Meyers was targeted 10 times in the Raiders' opener, catching nine passes for 81 yards and two touchdowns.

Zach Wilson didn't struggle in relief of Rodgers Monday simply because he's not a good quarterback. That was part of it, of course, but the Bills have a strong pass defense. A healthy Jordan Poyer, Micah Hyde and Tre'Davious White give Buffalo one of the NFL's top secondaries.

Garoppolo wasn't sacked at all in Week 1. The Raiders' quarterback could be under much more pressure in Buffalo. Only three teams held opponents to a lower passer rating than the Bills in 2022. The unit can be just as good in 2023. Garoppolo has -350 odds to throw for at least 200 passing yards in Week 2.

2. Raiders defense won't force Bills QB Josh Allen to commit a turnover

The narrative regarding Allen is starting to get a little bit out of hand. Yes, he deserves much of the blame for the Bills' loss against the Jets. The Bills quarterback was a bit of a turnover machine in 2022, particularly in the second half of the season when he played through an elbow injury. After his poor Week 1 performance against the Jets, Allen has received enough criticism to suggest that he's no longer on the upper echelon of quarterbacks.

Let's keep Allen's first game of 2023 in perspective. He played poorly against arguably the best defense in the NFL. It's also a defense that's had his number over the last few years. One of Allen's interceptions was essentially a punt on third down. Now, he's set to face a Raiders defense that surrendered the highest passer rating in all of football last year.

Las Vegas tied for a league-low six interceptions in 2022. The Raiders didn't pick off Russell Wilson in Week 1. Denver didn't fumble the football. Allen is hyper-aware of how much his turnovers are hurting the Bills. He avoided throwing an interception in seven games last season. The Bills' quarterback will make sure to protect the football in Week 2.

1. Raiders will lose to the Bills by three touchdowns 

The Bills-Raiders game is an obvious “get right” spot for Buffalo. After a disappointing Week 1 loss on the road, the Bills are returning home against a below-average team that is traveling to the other side of the country. It shouldn't be close.

The Bills are still the best bet to win the AFC East. Buffalo didn't come out of nowhere to win the division in 2022. They've won three straight AFC East championships, and the Bills have often been dominant on their way to doing so. Nine of the Bills' 13 wins last season came by more than seven points.

Buffalo isn't simply the much better team; the Bills are more desperate for a win than the Raiders in Week 2. It's a dangerous spot for Las Vegas. The Bills have +320 odds to beat the Raiders by 21 points or more.