5 reasons Oakland Raiders will beat Washington Redskins
By John Buhler
The Oakland Raiders will travel to the nation’s capital to play the Washington Redskins in primetime in Week 3. Here are five reasons the Raiders will win.
Week 3 of the 2017 NFL is already here. In the signature game on Sunday night, the Oakland Raiders will make the trek East to the nation’s capital to take on the Washington Redskins in primetime. Kickoff from FedEx Field will be at 5:30 p.m. PT, 8:30 p.m. ET on September 24.
Sunday Night Football on NBC looks to be a real treat for all football fans. It will feature two of strong quarterbacks in Derek Carr of the Raiders and Kirk Cousins of the Redskins. These are two of the biggest brands in the NFL and both will want a big win on Sunday night.
For Washington, a win would have the Redskins at 2-1 and very much in the thick of things in the always competitive NFC East. The Raiders could get to 3-0 for the first time since the Super Bowl run back in 2002. It would do wonders for the Silver and Black, who might play in the toughest division in football in the AFC West.
With it being probably a tight ball game between Oakland and Washington, here are five reasons it will be the Raiders that win on Sunday Night Football in Week 3 to improve to 3-0 on the young NFL season.
Raiders defense is playing with confidence
It’s been two weeks, but the Oakland Raiders haven’t looked this confident on defense in a long time. Last year, the team was able to reach the AFC playoffs largely for its ability to win close games on the road with is high-flying offense. The defense mostly held the Raiders back.
Though the defense is still far from being a top unit in the NFL, it is getting better at all three levels. Bringing in former San Diego Chargers defensive coordinator John Pagano to help revamp the secondary has been huge. Health and youthfulness has given bite to the defensive line. The pass rush has been solid per usual and the linebackers are growing with each rep.
That being said, it’s not like the Raiders went up against the two best passing attacks in football in the first two weeks. The Tennessee Titans are better at running the football than throwing it. The New York Jets will struggle to win even a few games this year with their depleted roster.
By having those two games already under the defense’s belt, it could be the confidence boost to challenge was has been one of the better NFL offenses in the last two seasons in Washington. Cousins is a capable and accurate passer from the pocket. If the Oakland secondary plays with discipline, the Silver and Black can win on the road in Washington.