Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To A Week Three Win In Washington

The Oakland Raiders are in the nation’s capital to take on Washington in a prime time game – let’s take a look at a few keys to a win.

The Oakland Raiders got off to their first 2-0 start in a dog’s age with a big, rousing win over the New York Jets last weekend. But, if the Raiders want to make that a 3-0 start and keep that momentum going, they’re going to have a tougher hill to climb in Washington.

Unlike the Jets, Washington has some solid playmakers on both sides of the ball. And although the results have been mixed over the first couple of weeks, Washington is a team capable of making some plays and winning some ballgames.

Washington has stumbled coming out of the gates just a bit, getting crushed by Philadelphia and winning a tight one over the Rams.

In both games, Washington’s passing offense struggled, but in their week two game with the Rams, the running game came alive, powering out 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns on 39 carries – an average of 5.9 yards per carry.

If the Raiders are going to come out of Washington with a win, they’re going to need the usual pyrotechnics from this high-octane offense. But they’re also going to need the defense to step up and play some solid ball against the run and the pass.

Washington may be 1-1, but this also a team capable of putting on a pyrotechnics show of their own, coming off a season in which they were the league’s second-ranked passing offense – and third overall. Although the loss of DeSean Jackson and Pierre Garcon have dealt a blow to the passing game, Washington still has some solid options to lean on – if allowed to get into a rhythm.

With that in mind, let’s take a look at a few keys to a week three win in Washington…