Raiders vs. Redskins: Preview, score prediction for Week 3

Oakland Raiders vs. Washington Redskins

The Oakland Raiders will travel across the country to play the Washington Redskins in a prime time matchup on NBC’s Sunday Night Football. While Oakland has started off with a hot 2-0 start, the Redskins come in at 1-1, looking to avoid going back under .500 following their narrow victory in Week 2.

Oakland is a team on the rise with young stars like quarterback David Carr, wide receiver Amari Cooper and defensive end Khalil Mack leading their charge from obscurity to becoming contenders. The addition of veteran running back Marshawn Lynch and a defense-centered draft are attempts on their part to become a more balanced team as they look to keep pace in a tough AFC West which has three undefeated teams entering Week 3.

Washington finds themselves in a three-way tie in the NFC East as no one has truly established themselves in the early going as a complete team. Despite their Week 1 loss, they can still find themselves in great positioning should they get the win at home while playing under the bright lights.

Oakland Keys to Victory

Calm the crowd: The Washington faithful will be pumped about their team being featured in the biggest game of the weekend. They will be ready to erupt at any sign of hope, so Oakland needs to establish themselves early and make sure the crowd doesn’t become a deciding factor.

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Keep feeding Crabtree: The veteran wide receiver has been the better player between he and Amari Cooper, and while Cooper has the lofty draft status they need to keep going to the hot hand. Crabtree is asserting himself as a star, so Carr needs to keep looking for him as the top guy in their impressive aerial assault.

Get after Cousins: Washington  quarterback Kirk Cousins is a streaky player. If he starts out strong, look out as that hot streak can kill teams. The Raiders can’t let him get going early, so they have to bring the pressure. He will still find some good drives, but if they make sure those are limited, they can win this. Mack and fellow defensive end Mario Edwards Jr. have been playing well and need to get after Cousins to throw him off his mark.

Washington Keys to Victory

Take on the Beast: Washington struggled to stop running back Todd Gurley of the Los Angeles Rams last week. He went for 88 yards and a score, which had a large part in the Rams hanging around in that one. This week they need to avoid letting Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch have similar success. Shutting him down makes the Raiders more predictable, which is what Washington wants.

Find a ground game: The Redskins also need to be willing to run the ball. Nothing slows down an offense like a long drive where they sit and watch. For Washington they need a running game to have those drives, and with running back Rob Kelley limited in practice, they may have a hard time finding that. This can’t be an excuse, as they need to have the threat of a run in this one.

Get Pryor going: It seems like an eternity ago the Raiders used a supplemental pick on Ohio State quarterback Terrelle Pryor. That was back in 2011 and after he tried his hand as the quarterback for Oakland, he made a few rounds as a receiver before breaking out in 2016 and earning a one-year deal with the Redskins. Through two games he has yet to really explode, but Washington needs him. Not only would it be fun for him to get back at the team that originally drafted him, but him becoming a threat opens the entire offense up.

Odds

Point Spread: Oakland -3
Moneyline: Oakland -120, Washington 100
Over/Under: 54

Odds via Sportsbook Review

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Prediction

There aren’t many iconic Washington vs. Oakland games to think of. This probably won’t be one of them either. Washington is struggling too hard to find consistency as Cousins isn’t quite on the same page as he receivers after losing two starters in the offseason. Add Kelley’s injury concerns to the mix and their offense is limited.

Oakland on the other hand is firing on all cylinders and looks like a team that knows how to win. They should take this one and it won’t come down to the final minutes either.

Final Score: Oakland Raiders: 26, Washington Redskins: 16