Oakland Raiders vs. Washington Redskins
It was not a pretty picture for the Raiders this past Sunday, both offensively and defensively. They did not look ready for the Redskins as Washington dominated the silver and black, handing them an ugly 27-10 loss on Sunday Night Football.
The normally dynamic duo of Derek Carr and Michael Crabtree only linked up once for a grand total of a seven yard reception. Crabtree’s right hand man in the receiving corps, Amari Cooper, also had just one reception for six yards in the five times he was targeted.
The backfield did not help the offensive attack (or lack thereof). Not one back rushed for more than 18 yards and the Raiders backfield as a unit ended up with just 32 total yards–averaging an unimpressive 2.5 yards per carry.
Offensively, they looked lost the entire night. Carr’s front five could not protect him, allowing six QB hits and four sacks.
Defensively, the Raiders could not stop Kirk Cousins and Chris Thompson, giving up 365 and 188 yards on the ground, including three TDs from Cousins.
And that brings me to this week’s talking touchdowns.
Oakland Raiders vs. Denver Broncos
Next up, the Raiders are facing the Denver Broncos on the road in Mile High. I’m looking for a victory on the field and Fangirl bragging rights over Broncos Fangirl, Ashley.
The Broncos are also coming from a 26-16 loss to the Buffalo Bills. Although the Receiving duo of Demaryius Thomas and Emmanuel Sanders combined for 13 catches for 173 yards, Denver’s offense did not look very productive overall. The Broncos will be returning to a home field environment which is unrivaled in the NFL and has always proven to be a place where the Broncos regain momentum coming off tough losses.
The Raiders are 7-3 in their last 10 games on the road and Denver is 9-3 in its last 12 games at home. The Raiders will have a chance but will need to be clicking on both sides of the ball and bringing their A game to Denver. This will be a close one, and if the Raiders want to keep their Super Bowl aspirations alive, games like these are ones that critics and fans will remember later in the season. I’m predicting that the Raiders win 21-17 in a close one…GO RAIDERS!!!
[NFL-Raiders-footer]Photo Credits:
- Oakland Raiders on Wikimedia Commons by Oakland Raiders
- Redskins on Wikimedia by sportslogos.net
- Derek Carr on wikimedia commons by Erik Drost
- Kirk Cousins on flickr by Keith Allison
- Chris Thompson on Wikimedia Commons by Keith Allison
- Denver Bronco Logo on Wikimedia by Denver Broncos
- Sports Authority Field at Mile High on wikipedia by compujeramey