While the Silver and Black did eventually fall to the Washington Redskins 27-10 Sunday night at FedExField, the loss certainly wasn't because of lack of effort.
From whistle to whistle, Head Coach Jack Del Rio's group fought, and while strong effort doesn't necessarily win football games, it does provide a bright spot and something to build on going forward.
"We had good energy," said Head Coach Jack Del Rio postgame. "We played hard throughout the game. We just didn't play well. Some really basic things that we count on doing at a high level, we didn't do today."
There might not be a better example of that effort than the play of linebacker/defensive end James Cowser Sunday night.
Cowser totaled three tackles throughout the Week 3 contest, but in addition to those, he recovered a pair of fumbles that proved to be a huge benefit for the Silver and Black.
While both possessions following Cowser's fumble recoveries resulted in points for the Raiders, his first one – after a muffed return by Jamison Crowder in the third quarter – resulted in seven points for Head Coach Jack Del Rio's squad.
That touchdown brought the score to 21-7, giving the Raiders a little jolt, and that would not have been possible without Cowser's awareness, so his first fumble recovery is this week's Elite Performance Moment of the Week, presented by Bridgestone.
