VICTORY!!!

Redskins 27 - 10 Raiders

 

 

 

JimmiJo

 

Greetings good people. JimmiJo here and I am joined by the partner of my youth, TheMurf. We have joined forces to bring to you the sights & sounds of this evening's primetime matchup between the Washington Redskins and Oakland Raiders.

 

The Raiders are a good squad. The crowd walking in told me as much - a more than healthy portion of silver and black accompanied me up the hill to FedEx Field.

 

I was encouraged by the Redskins' performance last week against the Rams. But this Oakland team is a different kettle of fish altogether. 

 

If Oakland grabs an early lead on Washington (typical of nationally televised night games the Redskins play in), they could be sunk early.

 

The Raiders enter this match ranked 5th-overall in offense; 3rd in scoring, 4th in rushing but only 14th in passing. 

 

The Redskins on the other hand are 7th in rush-defense but 26th in passing. Based on these. I am wondering if the Raiders might just be a good matchup?

 

Oakland is 8th in pass-defense and 18th in run-defense.

 

Beyond these, Washington's offense is not what we were seeing last season. There has been a significant dropoff since the departure of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon.

 

Kirk Cousins has yet to find his rhythm and the great rushing last week may have been an aberation.

 

My thoughts? Be nervous.

 

 

Murf

 

Hello friends, for the first time during the 2017 season I am reunited with my brother from another moth, JimmiJo, and it feels so good. As always, he will be holding things down in the press box while I patrol the sidelines.

 

Although I covered last week's win in Los Angeles, it's crazy how much has happened on and off the field in the last seven days. As the team headed back to the East Coast, the biggest topic was the sheer number of injuries to several core players -- including tight end Jordan Reed, inside linebacker Mason Foster, running back Rob Kelley and a slew of others.

 

Before coach Jay Gruden could even provide an update on his army of walking wounded, the story became the "will he or won't he return" saga of safety Sua Cravens, which ended with the team shutting him down and the second-year player handing out a hundred or so free jerseys to Redskins fans.

 

Just when things got quiet in our nation's capital, the president of the United States decided to weigh in on football players who choose to peacefully protest, which, in an amazing turn of events, has made every single performance of the national anthem at an NFL stadium must-see TV. So far today, players across the league have locked arms, taken a knee or simply refused to take the field until the conclusion of the anthem. 

 

 

It's safe to assume that the action of the Redskins and Raiders during tonight's national anthem, in the stadium closest to our nation's capital, will be of interest to many across the country. Once we get through that, hopefully everyone can settle down for another enjoyable encounter.

 

 

After laying an egg against Philadelphia Week 1, the Redskins looked much better running up and down the field versus the Rams. Even if Kelley can't play this evening, I would hope that Gruden and company continue to emphasize the ground game. And if Reed can't go, it's at least nice to know a capable veteran like Vernon Davis is more than ready to step in and step up.

 

On defense, the Redskins have the unenviable task of trying to contain one of the league's best offenses. Quarterback Derek Carr, running back Marshall Lynch and receivers Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree are about as good as it gets, and could easily put up 40 points tonight if Washington comes out flat, like they've been known to do on primetime games over the last decade.

 

In order to have any chance at a victory, the Redskins are going to need a strong outing from quarterback Kirk Cousins. As much as it might be a copout to spotlight the man behind center, this team simply cannot defeat Oakland if Cousins turns in another forgettable performance. As he goes, so too will the rest of the offense.

 

On defense, I'll be watching Bashaud Breeland. Regardless of whether he lines up against Cooper or Crabtree, he's going to have his toughest matchup of the season. If Breeland shines, then the burgundy and gold faithful just might go to sleep celebrating a D.C. rarity -- a primetime win.

 

- murf

 

 

Inactives

 

The Redskins declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 20 RB Rob Kelley

o   No. 38 CB Joshua Holsey

o   No. 54 LB Mason Foster

o   No. 68 G Tyler Catalina

o   No. 69 T T.J. Clemmings

o   No. 72 DL Anthony Lanier II

o   No. 86 TE Jordan Reed

 

No. 32 Samaje Perine is expected to start in place of Kelley at running back.

No. 51 Will Compton is expected to start in place of Foster at linebacker.

No. 85 Vernon Davis is expected to start in place of Reed at tight end.

 

The Raiders declared the following players as inactive:

o   No. 18 QB Connor Cook

o   No. 23 CB Dexter McDonald

o   No. 41 S Erik Harris

o   No. 69 T Jylan Ware

o   No. 71 T David Sharpe

o   No. 75 DT Darius Latham

o   No. 95 DL Jihad Ward

 

Kickoff

 

Here's to a good game with no injuries. PLEASE surprise me #Redskins.

 

Follow along live on Twitter @Skinscast. Murf can be found @HomerMcFanboy 

 

Half

 

Twelve seasons covering this team and I still don't know jack.

 

Washington came up with something to say. I loved every minute until the fiasco at the end of the half. Why do I think that's coming back to haunt them? Perhaps they can march down and score to start the 2nd-half and make me feel better. But so far, total domination:

 

Total net yard - #Redskins 223 - 47 #Raiders

First downs - Redskins 11 - 2 Raiders

Time of Possession - Redskins 20:20 - 9:40 Raiders

 

See ya soon...

 

 

 

 

JimmiJo

 

 

 

So that’s not something you see everyday. The Washington Redskins demolished the Oakland Raiders at FedEx Field in front of an announced crowd of 77,123, a quarter of whom probably showed up in black and silver.

 

They left black and blue.

 

Washington put as complete a beating on Oakland as you are apt to see. Take away a couple of gift-turnovers in the red zone and the Redskins are pitching a shutout.

The game was never as close as the score. Case-in-point – Oakland went 0-for-11 in third down conversions.

I don’t think I’ve seen that before.

 

 

A skim of the stats tell you how lopsided the affair was: Oakland / Washington

Total First Downs	7		Total First Downs	18
Third Down Efficiency	0/11 - 0%		Third Down Efficiency	7/15 - 46%
Total Net Yards	128		Total Net Yards	472
Average Gain per Offensive Play	2.7		Average Gain per Offensive Play	7.3
Net Yards Rushing	32		Net Yards Rushing	116
Net Yards Passing	96		Net Yards Passing	356
Times Sacked (Number-Yards)	4 - 22		Times Sacked (Number-Yards)	1 - 9
Pass Comp-Att-Int	19 - 31 - 2		Pass Comp-Att-Int	25 - 30 - 0
Average Gain per Passing Play (includes Sacks)	2.7		Average Gain per Passing Play (includes Sacks)	11.5
Penalties (Number-Yards)	4 - 35		Penalties (Number-Yards)	10 - 77
Fumbles (Number-Lost)	1 - 1		Fumbles (Number-Lost)	2 - 2
Touchdowns	1		Touchdowns	3
Field Goals (Made-Attempted)	1 - 1		Field Goals (Made-Attempted)	2 - 3
Time of Possession	21:54		Time of Possession	38:06

 

 

The Redskins defense were the stars of the night, snuffing out every chance of life from the Raiders. Oakland’s big guns shot blanks, with players like Marshawn Lynch, Michael Crabtree, and Derrick Carr looking ordinary at best.

 

Lynch tallied only 18-yards on 6-carries. Crabtree a paltry 1-reception for 7-yards, and Derrick Carr logging but 19-completes on 32-attempts for 118-yards, with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions, with a passer rating of 52.9.

 

Washington’s offense on the other hand, featured some key-performers and include guys that opposing defenses are going to have to gameplan for.

One such is Chris Thompson. All the dude does in rack-up all -purpose yards and score touchdowns. Tonight he logged 150-yards thru the air with 6-catches (to lead all receivers) while scoring a touchdown.

 

Vernon Davis shows there is not much drop-off from Jordan Reed, as he brought in 5-receptions for 58-yards and a touchdown.

Jamison Crowder was the only wideout to crack the top three, logging 52-yards on 6-catches.

 

But game ball on offense has to belong to Kirk Cousins. Cousins threw 25-for-30 for 365-yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions to finish with a passer-rating of 150.7. I asked Cousins if this is offense starting to “click” and he answered to say he doesn’t think in terms of overall big picture but rather about the individual plays and what opportunities were presented to him.

 

Fair enough. But the bomb to Josh Doctson said plenty about this emerging offense.

 

Cousins aired the ball out to give Doctson a chance at a jump ball. That’s exactly what happened, with Doctson going high to literally take the ball out of the defender’s arms and waltzed into the end zone.

 

Washington rang-up 472-yards on a team who pregame, people were considering a possible Super Bowl prospect. After tonight, the good people of Oakland are probably sending letters to the mayor of Las Vegas, asking if the Raiders can come early.

 

I was curious last week to see if the performance in Los Angeles was a fluke.

 

I believe the answer I am searching for is; “Hell no!”

 

Next week presents a real opportunity for Washington. Go to Kansas City and beat that team and people will talk about the Redskins as a real contender for post season action.

 

 

 

Game Book - 2017 Season Week 3 Redskins vs Raiders

 

2017 Week 3 Raiders at Redskins - Post Game Audio