Defensive End Khalil Mack
The Silver and Black went primetime Sunday night, eventually falling to the Washington Redskins 27-10 at FedExField.
With the Week 3 loss, the Oakland Raiders fall to 2-1, and will now shift their sights to the Denver Broncos next weekend. However, before we do that, let's take a look at four, quick observations from tonight's win.
1. The Raiders were unified in the nation's capital
There were demonstrations of unity across the NFL world all day Sunday, and the Silver and Black were no exception to that rule Sunday evening.
During the performance of "The Star Spangled Banner," a majority of the Raiders remained seated or took a knee, and those who elected to stand interlocked arms throughout the duration of the anthem.
In a word, the demonstration was united, with nearly every Raiders player and coach taking part.
2. The offense just couldn't get rolling
When things are rocking and rolling, do the Raiders have one of the most-dynamic offenses in the NFL? Certainly, but even the best of squads have an off day; such was the case for Derek Carr and Co. Sunday night against the Redskins.
At the end of the first quarter, the Raiders offense had been stymied, being held to zero points, no first downs, and just a single completed pass from Carr.
While things did eventually improve a little bit for Offensive Coordinator Todd Downing's group, Sunday's output was a far cry from what we've come to expect from Carr and the Raiders.
Granted it was just one night, but Sunday night was certainly not the best iteration of the Silver and Black.
3. The defense generated some good pressure up the middle
While Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton, Jr.'s squad certainly had it's fair share of issues Sunday night against Kirk Cousins and the Redskins, the rush of the interior lineman proved to be a bright spot for the unit.
Mario Edwards Jr. and Justin "Jelly" Ellis in particular enjoyed strong efforts at FedExField Field, making life difficult for Kirk Cousins, and forcing him to move out of the pocket.
While the end result of Sunday's outing was a Raiders loss, there were a few bright spots to note, and the play of the interior defensive line was one of them.
4. There was no answer for Kirk Cousins and Chris Thompson
You have to give credit where credit is due, the Raiders defense just couldn't find an answer for Kirk Cousins and Chris Thompson all evening.
While he might not be the flashiest quarterback in the game, Cousins is a legitimate NFL quarterback, -- let's not forget that he threw for nearly 5,000 yards last year – and to be blunt, he was outstanding tonight against the Silver and Black.
At evening's end, the Redskins starting quarterback completed 25 passes for 365 yards, finding the end zone three times in the process.
Six of those completions went to running back Chris Thompson, who not only was a factor in the aerial attack, but also proved to be a thorn in the side of the Raiders ground game as well, carrying the ball eight times for 38 yards.
The Redskins offense was firing on all cylinders Sunday night, and the play of Thompson and Cousins was a big reason why.
