Oakland Raiders: Speaking the truth about Week 3

There was no more dancing on the sidelines as the Washington Redskins dominated the Oakland Raiders in Week 3.

The Oakland Raiders joined the majority of the NFL in making a show of unity during the national anthem on Sunday Night Football in Week 3. That was on a short list of things that went right as a team. Oakland lost the game, 27-10, in a contest where even the score didn’t give that beatdown justice. Literally, about the only thing that went favorably for the Raiders was winning the coin toss. Things quickly deteriorated from there.

On the second play of from scrimmage, Derek Carr threw a deep route to Amari Cooper, which was intercepted by the safety after Cooper apparently gave up on the route trying to sell the grab from the defensive back. From that point on, it was nearly all Washington.

A tipping point was when quarterback Carr, clearly from all angles, called for a timeout. The official saw his motion and chooses to ignore the highly visible “T” Carr’s hands formed because he didn’t look at him. Why wasn’t Carr looking at him, you ask? There were at least three snap miscommunications where Carr received a snap he wasn’t expecting from center Rodney Hudson.

The high-octane offense, which was ranked as a top-three unit in the NFL through two weeks, was held to what would seem a mere 10 points and 128 total yards. That was exemplified as they only converted 0-of-11 third down opportunities. It also took the Raiders until the fourth quarter to finally break through the 100-yard mark. Carr took back-to-back sacks for the second time this season, and appeared to be shaken and, at best, out of sorts.

On full display were the same old flaws Raider Nation had hoped left for Denver along with former offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave. The truth of the matter is the freshly minted offensive coordinator, Todd Downing, had a game which looked like he was a newcomer to the position. The Redskins were well prepared for the short, quick passing game the Raiders had been winning with and the “gun-running game” with Marshawn Lynch.

Once it became apparent the Redskins were content to sit back and play soft coverage, perhaps a tactical shift was in order. Inserting his freshly active and healthy fullback Jamaze Olawale into the lineup and power running them out of it would’ve been one answer.

More from Las Vegas Raiders

• 5 NFL teams that will definitely disappoint fans in 2023
• 3 Players the Oakland/Las Vegas Raiders gave up on way too early
• 2024 NFL Draft: Who picks at the top of the draft in April?
• NFL Predictions: 5 Teams that will be drafting a quarterback in 2024
• 5 NFL Head Coaches that could be fired by the end of the 2023 season

But for the epic failure suffered by the best offensive line in football, it’s easy to cast blame everywhere. Every play is contingent upon making sure the defensive line was getting blocked and the four-man rush of the Redskins whooped the Raiders starting five. There isn’t a need to single any player out because they all stunk up the joint equally.

Be it left tackle Donald Penn who gave up back to back sacks, Kelechi Osemele who just couldn’t get it going, Rodney Hudson who was snapping the football on his own, Gabe Jackson getting repeatedly pushed into Carr or Marshall Newhouse struggling against a familiar foe, it was a line that got defeated on Sunday night. Few plays, run or pass, were called with multiple tight ends on the field and certainly not a single run with Olawale leading the way.

Amari Cooper dropped his league-leading sixth pass of the year. Billed as a pro-ready, polished product out of Alabama, Cooper has been electric, provided he remembers to hang on to the football. There are a few main differences between Cooper and the likes of Julio Jones, Antonio Brown and Odell Beckham Jr. Elite wide receivers don’t hang around the league lead in drops for three years in a row, nor do they quit in the middle of routes attempting to draw a flag instead of running the route.

Double and triple coverage do not slow the production of elite receivers down to the point of five receptions for 59 yards combined over two weeks. Cooper catches the majority of his passes on short to intermediate routes, and Downing needs to continue to develop fresh and exciting ways to use Cooper when he is being double-teamed. Perhaps running him through multiple layers of coverage to open up areas for other receivers, maybe going in motion across the formation.

Subtle little nuances that can force a defense out of its initial coverage and put the defense on its heels are necessary at this point. Cooper has the size and the raw ability to be an elite wide receiver, but is constantly getting dinged and nicked up. Throw in the issue with his “one job” of catching the football and Cooper has anything but elite at this point.

Watching the game, it seems that Jared Cook is a forgotten man. Of all the weapons that are on this team, Cook is the matchup essential to the continued success against the top tier defenses in the league. Should teams decide they want to double receivers and sit on short routes, it needs to be Cook who gets called on.

More from NFL Spin Zone

• Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
• Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
• Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
• Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
• Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens

At 6-5 and with speed to boot, Cook is a physical mismatch for most linebackers and safeties. Not to mention, a quarterback’s best friend is always his tight end. Cook is the guy who can’t be accounted for with single coverage should Carr take an inside-out approach to his passing game. The Kansas City Chiefs are without All-Pro safety Eric Berry and it would behoove Carr to learn to throw to his tight end and not force throws into coverage.

Defensively, the Raiders had a much better day than statistics would dictate. The defense kept the Raiders in this game as long as it possibly could before it succumbed to being left out on the field without reinforcements. They surrendered 27 points with Kirk Cousins putting up 366 yards and three touchdowns on 24-of-29 passing. Cousins’ patience in the pocket allowed him to pick apart the Raiders coverage units, taking some shots early, he exuded toughness. He went down hard on multiple occasions, but to his credit, he didn’t get skittish and continued to stand true in the pocket, delivering strike after strike like a seasoned veteran.

The defense also had no answer whatsoever for Chris Thompson as he gashed through the soft underneath coverage of the Raiders second level. With an offense missing its top pass-catching option in Jordan Reed and one of its chief defenders what seemed like a cake-walk was, only it was the Raiders being served.

It seemed the Raiders have been able to contain the tight end in weeks past, but in Sean Smith’s debut as the money backer, Vernon Davis ate him up. Eventually, Smith was pulled in favor of rookie seventh-round draft pick Shalom Luani. David Amerson, for the second week in a row, gave up a touchdown pass in semi-embarrassing fashion. Now, in his defense, when locked in a one-on-one showdown, that’s usually how it ends one way or another. Amerson did, however, pull himself together and play well after being part of Josh Doctson’s highlight.

Cory James and his 12 tackles (six solo) and a forced fumble were a great sign for the Raiders as he continues to expand on his own offseason growth. James Cowser had himself a game being Johnny on the Spot and recovering two fumbles, one on a muffed punt and one forced by James. Bruce Irvin and Khalil Mack were monsters in the run game and Mack got a sack.

Next: NFL 2017: One burning question for each team, Week 4

This was just an ugly game all the way around and, in terms of tiebreaking strength, a loss to a non-conference, non-divisional opponent really isn’t the worst thing. What absolutely has to be rectified moving forward heading into Week 4’s contest against the Denver Broncos is clear, though. The offensive line needs to rebound, wide receivers need to finish their routes and look the ball into their hands, second level pass coverage needs to improve and Carr needs to stop pre-determining where he’s going with the football.