Oakland Raiders offense goes on unofficial bye in Week 3

The Oakland Raiders offense no shows in primetime. The offensive line allowed Carr to be sacked four times, making him uncomfortable throughout the night.

Entering Sunday Night Football in Week 3 in Washington, D.C., the Oakland Raiders offense appeared content with their performances through two games. Sadly it showed, as the Raiders didn’t show up in this one.

What is supposed to be an elite offense turned into what most of us do when we hear our morning alarm: hit the snooze button.

From the get go, the offense could not produce so much as a first down. They had only accounted for one entering halftime. It was a complete no-show in all departments for the offense. On the second play of the game, quarterback Derek Carr threw an interception that was a bit under thrown and left hanging in the air.

That interception would foreshadow and set the tone for the rest of the game. He would finish with two picks and after his second, he appeared shook. However, his inaccuracy and bad decision making wasn’t the only factor into his poor play.

The offensive line, where a bulk of the Raiders money is at, was dominated by a more aggressive opposing Washington Redskins defensive line. They allowed four sacks on Carr, two of which were on back-to-back plays on their second drive. By allowing Carr to get sacked and face an ample amount of pressure, there was just no way he was going to get comfortable in the pocket.

As a result, he would favor the check-down passes to his running backs. The backs couldn’t get anything going either. Aside from an 11-yard run from Jalen Richard, none of the backs did anything impactful aside from catching a few passes.

The Redskins defense turned, arguably the best duo receivers in the game, into novices. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree were as quite as a Prius. They do have Josh Norman at cornerback, so it makes sense for one of them to struggle.

But Norman can’t guard both players simultaneously. One of them had to step up while the other took the coverage, because Carr only targeted Norman once all game for a seven-yard reception.

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Which draws me to wonder why offensive coordinator Todd Downing couldn’t come up with a better game plan or make in-game adjustments. His play calling looked horrid at times and it showed.

Linebackers were in the backfield or meeting the running backs immediately at the line of scrimmage. Redskins defensive coordinator Greg Manusky knew what was coming. Now this is Downing’s first year as offensive coordinator, but to come up with only 10 points is disappointing versus a defense that isn’t known for being elite.

You got to give credit where credit is due. The Redskins came to play. They looked nothing like they did last week against the Los Angeles Rams. Their defense was the most impressive going up against one of the best offenses in the league.

Next: Raiders fall to Redskins, 27-10: Highlights, recap, final score

Now the Raiders are going to have to regroup and get ready for the Denver Broncos at Mile High. This is a game that will spell bad news for the Raiders if they drop this one. Von Miller and company will be having hopes that the Raiders offense hits the snooze button one more time.

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