GAME RECAP: Redskins Get Dominating Win over Raiders
September 25, 2017
By Steve Thomas
The Washington Redskins displayed a dominating performance over the high-flying Oakland Raiders before a national audience on Sunday evening, winning by a score of 27 – 10. The Redskins defense played its best game of the season – perhaps in several seasons – largely shutting down a Raiders offense that had previously had big games against the Dolphins and the Jets. On the other side of the ball, Kirk Cousins got back on track after two shaky previous games, posting a quarterback rating of 150.7 and throwing 3 touchdown passes. It was a much needed victory over a quality team that the Redskins should use as a springboard for future success.
The Redskins got off to a fast start in the 1st quarter, with the safety Montae Nicholson intercepting Raiders quarterback Derek Carr on a deep ball that was intended for wide receiver Amari Cooper. The Redskins took advantage of the situation, marching straight down the field and scoring a touchdown on a simple flare out to the flats by Chris Thompson, who scored thanks to a clear blown coverage by the Raiders linebackers. For the rest of the quarter, the Redskins made a strong effort to get their running game going with multiple runs out of a power look by Samaje Perine. Defensively, the Raiders were held to minimal yardage both in the air and on the ground in a strong effort by both the secondary and the defensive line. Both teams traded punts for the rest of the quarter, which ended with the Redskins up by a score of 7 – 0.
The second quarter featured more of the same from both teams, as Derek Carr made another mistake with an interception to Kendall Fuller. The Redskins once again capitalized on the turnover and scored their second touchdown of the game with a 26 yard strike by Kirk Cousins to tight end Vernon Davis in the end zone, on a play in which Davis, at 33 years of age, showed his speed by running past a cornerback to break open. The Redskins defense continued their outstanding start, holding the Raiders’ high-flying offensive to very little production, and the half ended with the Redskins carrying 14 – 0 lead. Quarterback Kirk Cousins had his most productive half of the year, going 17 of 19 for 173 yards and one touchdown. Vernon Davis and Chris Thompson were the offensive stars of the half, with Davis gaining 58 yards and one touchdown on 5 receptions, and Thompson gaining 66 total yards and a touchdown on 3 carries and 2 receptions. The defense continued its banner day, holding Derek Carr to just 5 completions on 10 attempts for 32 yards, with 2 interceptions. As a team, the Raiders gained 24 yards on 8 carries at the half.
The Redskins largely continued their dominate performance in the third quarter, with the only mistake coming in the form of a Jamison Crowder fumble on a punt return that resulted in a touchdown. On offense, the stars of the show were Chris Thompson, who turned a simple flare to the flats into a 74 yard rumble into the red zone, and wide receiver Josh Doctson, who made a spectacular 52 yard touchdown grab. Doctson later downplayed the catch, stating, “Just a fade route. I just made the play. It was pretty simple to be honest.” On defense, the Redskins continued their outstanding day, rendering both Derek Carr and the Raiders running game essentially ineffective. The quarter ended with the Redskins up 21 – 7.
The 4th quarter brought more of the same, with the Redskins’ defense continuing to pitch a near shutout, with the only points earned by the Raiders coming in the form of a field goal after a Samaje Perine fumble in the red zone. The Redskins offense was fairly quiet in the final quarter, with the team scoring two field goals and running out the clock with some strong runs by running back Mack Brown.
Overall, the Redskins put on a stunning and unexpected defensive masterpiece, holding the Raiders to just 128 total yards of offense, which was the fewest number of yards allowed by the Redskins since October 12, 1992. Just how dominating was this win? The Redskins possessed the ball for 38:06, compared to just 21:54 for Oakland. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr had his worst game of the season, going 19 of 31 for just 118 yards, with 1 touchdown and 2 interceptions. The Raiders were 0 for 11 on third down conversion attempts. Running back Marshawn Lynch gained only 18 yards on 6 carries. For the Redskins, Kirk Cousins registered a virtuoso performance, throwing for 365 yards in 25 carries and 30 attempts. The player of the day, though, was running back Chris Thompson, who had 188 total yards from scrimmage and 1 touchdown, with 38 yards rushing and 150 yards receiving on just 6 receptions. Vernon Davis also had a strong game with 5 receptions for 58 yards. As a team, the Redskins rushed for 116 yards on 34 carries, for an average of 3.4 yards per carry. On the defensive side of the ball, the entire secondary had quality days, with the Raiders largely afraid to challenge star corner Josh Norman at all, and with Bashaud Breeland, Montae Nicholson, Deshazor Everett, and Kendall Fuller all making critical plays at various times. Linebacker Zach Brown led the way with 10 total tackles. Ryan Kerrigan, Preston Smith, and rookie Jonathan Allen were all credited with one sack each, with Matt Ioannidis and Junior Galette each being credited with a half sack.
Head Coach Jay Gruden made note of the performance of his defense, stating, “I think it was as good a defensive performance that I’ve seen in a long time by anybody.”
The Redskins also escaped without serious injury, with only tackle Ty Nsekhe suffering a groin injury and running back Samaje Perine suffering a hand contusion.
The Redskins next travel to Kansas City to face the Chiefs on Monday Night Football in week 4.