Bills vs. Raiders, 2014 NFL Week 16: first half open thread

Well, here we are, about to watch the Buffalo Bills play against the Oakland Raiders, and they're still alive in the AFC playoff hunt.

Let's forget about the help that the team did and did not get on the scoreboard from the rest of the NFL for a few hours, because it's all moot if the Bills, 8-6, cannot win a road game against the very beatable 2-12 Oakland Raiders. Buffalo has yet to beat an AFC West team this season, losing to San Diego, Kansas City, and Denver, and they also haven't won in what is today known as the O.co Coliseum since 1966.

With a win, Buffalo has an opportunity not only to win nine games in a season for the first time in a decade, but to set up a monumentally huge Week 17 tilt against Tom Brady and the New England Patriots in Foxboro. That's nice to think about, as is the team getting the help it needs to break its 14-year playoff drought, but first thing's first: they have to take care of business against the Raiders.

Here we go. This is your open thread for the first half of Bills-Raiders. Let's see if this team is good enough to avoid a letdown in a trap game, and to keep themselves alive in the AFC playoff race. Go Bills!