Raiders Have Come Around, but Bills Have Come to Town : Pro football: They ended an eight-game losing streak last week, but face a Buffalo team they have not beaten since 1987.

Guess who has come to town?

The Raiders know.

They didn’t have to check the schedule.

They didn’t have to consult the TV listings.

They knew all along.

After all, things were suddenly looking up for the Raiders. They ended an eight-game losing streak last Sunday against the New York Giants and got their first victory of 1992.

And when things have looked up for the Raiders in the last few seasons, who has come along to knock them down?

The Buffalo Bills.

Sure enough, the Bills (4-1) invade the Coliseum today, trying to end the one-game winning streak of the 1-4 Raiders.

The Raiders last beat Buffalo in 1987 and since have lost four times to the Bills, twice when it really hurt.

In 1990, the Raiders finished the regular season with a division-best 12-4 record and won their playoff opener over the Cincinnati Bengals, leaving them only 60 minutes from the Super Bowl. Unfortunately for the Raiders, they spent those 60 minutes in Buffalo, where the Bills blasted them into the off-season, 51-3.

Last season, the Raiders picked themselves up and were nearly back to where they had been a year earlier, going 9-4. The division title was again within reach.

Until Buffalo interrupted.

This time, at least, it was no rout. This time, the Raiders, playing at home, took a 27-14 lead into the fourth quarter. But the Bills tied the game and eventually won in overtime on Scott Norwood’s field goal, 30-27.

Buffalo went on to its second consecutive Super Bowl appearance.

The Raiders haven’t been heard from again.

They lost the rest of their regular-season games, their only playoff game and their first four of this season before finally re-emerging in the winners’ circle last Sunday.

But Raider Coach Art Shell isn’t buying any Bills’ jinx talk.

“If you want to look for an excuse, you could easily look at that game (last year against Buffalo),” he said, in reference to the Raiders’ eight-game losing streak. “But I don’t look for excuses. Each game is a different entity. You can’t afford to let one game destroy a season.”

Shell has enough problems simply looking at this year’s matchup.

Buffalo wasted no time this season wallowing in its two consecutive Super Bowl defeats. The Bills roared out of the gate, winning their first four games with all the familiar names doing all their familiar things.

Quarterback Jim Kelly is the AFC’s highest-rated passer and has thrown 11 touchdown strikes, sharing the league lead with the Atlanta Falcons’ Chris Miller.

Running back Thurman Thomas has gained 383 yards rushing and has scored a league-high seven touchdowns, four in the season opener against the Rams.

Receiver Andre Reed is leading the NFL in catches with 32.

Not surprisingly with all these standouts, the Bills are leading the NFL in total offense.

Although Buffalo’s defense is only eighth overall in the AFC, the Bills have been especially effective against the run. They are holding opponents to an average of 82 yards per game, good enough to tie the San Diego Chargers for the low in the conference.

Until last week, Buffalo looked unbeatable. But the Miami Dolphins ended any such illusion by shocking the Bills, 37-10. It was Buffalo’s worst defeat at home in a non-strike game since 1984.

Kelly threw four interceptions, one of which was returned a league record-tying 103 yards by Louis Oliver for a touchdown.

“It seems like something we have to go through each and every year,” Kelly said of the one-sided defeat. “You hate to see it, but it happens.”

The Bills’ next opponents also hate to see it.

Last year, Buffalo got blown out by the Kansas City Chiefs, 33-6, then went on to win five in a row. A year earlier, Miami beat the Bills, 30-7. Buffalo responded with eight consecutive victories.

Shell hopes to avoid a repeat this season by learning from the Dolphins.

“They put a little bit more pressure on Jim when he threw the ball,” Shell said. “They had someone right in his face.

“But the main thing is, they controlled the running game. They controlled Thomas a little bit on the ground and that helped Miami with its pass coverage.”

The Bills rushed for only 63 yards, Thomas getting 33 in 11 carries.

The Raiders may have trouble doing much running of their own. Eric Dickerson has yet to gain 100 yards in a game this season and both Marcus Allen and Nick Bell have not played enough to produce.

Of even greater concern to Shell this week, however, is the offensive line. Center Don Mosebar might not play because of a sprained ankle. If Mosebar is out, Todd Peat will move into the center spot with rookie Greg Skrepenak taking over at right guard while veteran Max Montoya continues to heal his injured knee. Reggie McElroy replaces Steve Wright at right tackle, giving the Raiders an entirely new right side.

It’s a tough time to make such key switches.

But for the Raiders, any time they have played the Bills in recent years has been a tough time.

Raider Notes

Jim Kelly ruptured a bursal sac in his throwing elbow last week, but says he will play today. “It’s a little sore,” he said. “I’ve played with pain before, so it’s something I can deal with.” . . . Eric Dickerson needs 72 yards rushing to pass Tony Dorsett and become the NFL’s No. 2 ground gainer behind Walter Payton.