DeAndre Washington won't soon forget the Oakland Raiders Week 16 matchup against the Indianapolis Colts.
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Not only did the Silver and Black beat the Colts 33-25, but the rookie running back enjoyed a career day Saturday afternoon, rushing the ball 12 times for 99 yards, as well as finding the end zone not once, but twice.
Washington's first touchdown of the day – which was also the first of his career – came on the Raiders first drive of the second half, as the speedy back scampered 22 yards into the end zone, ballooning the team's lead to 25-7 over the Colts in the process.
Number 33's run was made possible by a variety of players executing their assignments; his third quarter touchdown is this week's Right Combination Play presented by State Farm.
Pre-snap:
"As I was getting the ball from DC [Derek Carr], he actually told me to cut back. I was actually going to cut back anyway because of my read, but he told me to cut back, and after I cut back, things started opening up. I was just trying to find a crease, and it got to a point where I had to split two defenders. I saw one defender on my right side, so I tried to stiff arm him to get to the end zone. That's kind of how it happened."
Washington broke down the move he put on Colts defensive tackle Hassan Ridgeway:
"I didn't even know he fell until I went back and watched the highlight, but it was kind of just an instinctive thing, man. I think he had kind of got through free, so I knew I had to make a move so I could avoid him. I kind of just went off instincts.
Once he got to the second level of the Colts defense, Washington was off to the races:
"When you're in that part of the field, your hunger for the [end zone] definitely increases because it's so close to you, so after I broke that first wave of defenders, I just saw the end zone, so I was just trying to get there as soon as possible. I was just trying to weave and do whatever I had to do to get in there."
The third quarter touchdown was the first of Washington's career, and one he'll remember for quite some time:
"Just emotion, man, just emotion. You always sit back and say, 'man, what are you going to do for your first touchdown,' I was just so emotional. It was just so much emotion man. I celebrated with the guys. It was just a good feeling… I had a dance and everything, and I don't even dance like that. I had a dance I said I was going to do, but like I said, once I got in there, it was just so much emotion that all that kind of went out the window."
