Through Week 2, the Las Vegas Raiders had the fourth-ranked run defense in the NFL (70.5 yards per game) along with allowing the fourth-fewest yards per carry in the league (3.2). Stopping the run was clearly a focus for defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, with eight or more defenders in the box 34 percent of the time (the fifth-highest such rate in the league, according to Pro Football Focus), and it was working well.
Week 3 against the Washington Commanders was going to be a different challenge for the Raiders defense, since quarterback Jayden Daniels is one of the best running quarterbacks in the league. But a knee injury coming out of Week 2 sidelined Daniels for the game, and he was replaced by one-time Raiders' signal caller Marcus Mariota.
The Commanders clearly had a plan with their backup quarterback having to start. Their entire first drive, after a big kickoff return from Deebo Samuel, was run plays, culminating in a rushing touchdown by Mariota. The second drive was similar, with three of four plays rush attempts before a Mariota fumble that was recovered by the Raiders.
It only took one game for the Raiders' run defense to fall apart
Washington's third drive was pass-heavy, and a later drive was short due to a 60-yard touchdown run by Jeremy McNichols as the Raiders missed several tackles.
In the first half, however skewed by McNichols' long touchdown run, the Commanders averaged over 10 yards per carry (17 rushes for 174 yards). Take that 60-yard run away, and the Raiders still surrendered 7.1 yards per carry in the first half.
The Raiders faced a quarterback who doesn't mind running back in Week 1, but Drake Maye was arguably underutilized as a runner (four carries for 11 yards) and they largely held the New England Patriots' ground game in check (60 yards on 18 attempts, with a 14-yard run by Treveyon Henderson).
The Commanders brought a different animal to the table. Offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury seemingly dusted off elements of the playbook Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly used when Mariota was his quarterback back in the day at the University of Oregon, and the Raiders had no answers for it.
The Raiders' run defense might not be as good as it was over the first two games, and it'd be hard for it to be worse than it was in the first half against the Commanders. Still, Sunday's game was a harsh reality check for everyone involved.