In just over a year under head coach Chan Gailey, the Buffalo Bills have proven that they're a team that can capitalize on mistakes made by other teams. That trend continued in a Week 1 win over the Kansas City Chiefs, who helped the Bills cruise to victory with three turnovers. They may be getting help of a different sort from the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.
Last year, no NFL team was penalized more frequently than the Raiders, who surrendered just south of 10 penalties per game to its opponents en route to an 8-8 finish. It's easy to imagine the Raiders pushing for an AFC West championship with fewer mental errors, especially considering their undefeated finish in divisional matchups.
That trend has continued for Oakland, however, in transitioning from Tom Cable to Hue Jackson at head coach. In their Week 1 win over the Denver Broncos, the Raiders committed a whopping 15 penalties that gave Denver 131 free yards. It's perhaps Oakland's biggest problem, and Jackson has promised to re-double efforts to crack down on the mental errors.
Part of the reason Denver lost on Monday Night Football? They committed 10 penalties of their own, leveling the playing field a bit. If Oakland continues its generosity in this department on Sunday, it's imperative that the Bills don't reciprocate Denver's charity - particularly in their home stadium.