Game Preview, Week 13: Washington at Raiders
December 3, 2021
by Steve Thomas
Washington has now won three straight games, and with Dallas losing 3 of 4, the Redskins Washington is now in second place in the NFC East and only 2 games out of first place. Standing in the way of progress this week are the Raiders, who are hosting Washington in Las Vegas for the first time. The Raiders helpfully beat Dallas on Thanksgiving Day, although that may not bode well for Washington’s chances at a victory. The Raiders have some very distinct strengths and weaknesses, but with Washington starting to peak on both offense and defense, this figures to be an entertaining game. Keep reading for our game preview.
Game time & location: Sunday, December 5, 2021, 4:05 p.m. ET, Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas, Nevada; Gates open 1:05 p.m. ET; parking lots open 12:05 p.m.
Television: Fox
Television announcers: Kevin Burkhardt and Greg Olsen
TV broadcast map: click here
DC-area radio: The Team 980
Washington radio network: click here
Raiders radio network: click here
Satellite radio: Sirius XM: 225 (Raiders broad.); internet: 831 (Washington broad.)
Washington roster: click here
Washington depth chart: click here
Raiders roster: click here
Raiders depth chart: click here
All-time head-to-head record vs Seahawks: 6 – 7 (last 5: 4 – 1; streak: 3 – 0)
Last meeting: W, September 24, 2020, 27 – 10
Early odds: Raiders, -2.5
3 KEYS TO THE GAME
Get touchdowns, not field goals
The Raiders defense has posted an astoundingly bad red zone defense – opponents have scored touchdowns on 75.86% of red zone trips, which is the worst in the NFL by far. In contrast, Washington’s offense has been terrible in the red zone. They are ranked 31st by that metric. If Washington is going to win this game, then they will need to take advantage of this major weakness in the Raiders’ defense. This is a weakness on weakness situation, but Washington needs to do better.
Make Derek Carr inefficient
Surprisingly, Carr has passed for the most yards in the NFL so far this season, and is ranked 4th in pass attempts. The Raiders aren’t much of a running team, so Carr is almost certainly going to sling the ball around, so it will be the rob of Washington’s secondary to make him inefficient and ineffective. If they can’t do that, they aren’t likely to win. The Raiders have won every game this season in which Carr has passed for more than 300 yards, and they’ve lost every game in which Carr has passed for less than 300 yards.
Third down defense
The Raiders are terrible on third downs, converting on only 34.35% of attempts, which is ranked 29th in the NFL. We all know that Washington’s defense is the worst in the NFL on third downs. They can’t afford to let the Raiders all of a sudden start to be productive on third down. This is a definite key to a Washington victory.
3 KEY MATCHUPS
William Jackson III vs Hunter Renfrow
Renfrow is Derek Carr’s favorite target and is the Raiders’ best receiver, particularly with the release of Henry Ruggs. William Jackson III is Washington’s #1 corner, so the job of controlling Renfrow will fall primarily to him. Jackson has had his ups and downs this season, so it’s not entirely clear how this matchup will turn out, but it’s definitely probably the highest profile battle of the game.
Charles Leno vs Yannick Ngakoue
Ngakoue is a very effective pass rusher with 8 sacks on the year. Charles Leno will have the job of protecting Taylor Heinicke against Ngakoue. Heinicke is obviously very mobile and therefore harder to sack than most, but still: Leno needs to keep the pocket clean. Keep an eye out on how much penetration Ngakoue is getting against Washington’s left tackle.
Terry McLaurin vs. Casey Hayward Jr.
All Washington fans know that McLaurin is one of the best receivers in the NFL and is a key to Washington’s offense. The Raiders’ Casey Hayward will be the primary corner on McLaurin during this game. Keep an eye out how open McLaurin is throughout this game.
OFFICIAL INJURY REPORT (active roster only) (starters in bold)
LP – limited practice FP – full practice DNP – did not practice
NIR – not injury related Q – questionable O – out
D – doubtful NL – not listed
| Washington | Raiders |
| S L. Collins, foot; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | DE C. Nassib, knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| C T. Larsen, knee; Wed: DNP ; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q | LB P. Onwuasor, hamstring; Wed; DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O |
| RB J.D. McKissic, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | TE D. Waller, back/knee; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: D |
| G W. Schweitzer, ankle; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: O | WR D. Jackson, calf; Wed: LP; Thurs: DNP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| CB B. St-Juste, concussion; Wed: DNP; Thurs: DNP; Fri; IR | LB N. Kwiatkoski, ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q |
| RB A. Gibson, shin; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP | CB K. Nixon, ankle; Wed: ankle; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: FP; game: Q |
| WR C. Samuel, groin; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | CB B. Facyson, concussion; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| G B. Scherff, knee; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri; LP | DT J. Hankins, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| TE R. Seals-Jones, hip; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | WR Z. Jones, shoulder; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| TE L. Thomas, hamstring; Wed: LP; Thurs: LP; Fri; LP | LB M. Lee, ankle; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| G E. Flowers Sr., foot; Wed: NL; Thurs: DNP; Fri: DNP; game: Q | G J. Simpson, ribs/knee; Wed: FP; Thurs: FP; Fri: FP |
| RB J. Jacobs, ankle; Wed: NL; Thurs: LP; Fri: LP; game: Q | |
| RB J. Richard, NIR (personal); Wed: NL; Thurs: NL; Fri; DNP |
TEAM STATISTICS
Washington:
Washington’s offensive number continue to slowly improve over early in the season. They are 22nd in total points, with 229, 19th in total yards, 23rd in passing yards, 10th in rushing yards, and 16th in rushing yards per attempt. Taylor Heinicke is solidly middle of the pack now, with a quarterback rating of 91.3, ranked 19th, and 2613 total passing yards, which is ranked 15th.
Defensively, Washington is 23rd in total points surrendered, 15th in total yards, and 27th in passing yards. The team has become one of the more effective defenses in the league against the run – they are 4th in rushing yards, although they are surrendering 4.1 yards per carry, which is ranked 12th. However, Washington remains the worst team in the NFL on third downs, and is ranked 31st in the NFL in opposing quarterback rating.
Record: 5 – 6 (2nd) (Away: 2 – 3; AFC: 0 – 4)
All-time franchise record: 615 – 618 – 28
Offense
| Offensive rankings | 22 (points) / 19 (total yards) / 19 (yards per game) / 20 (yards per play) / 23 (passing yards) / 19 (passing yards per att.) / 10 (rushing yards) / 16 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 229 |
| Yards per game | 349.9 |
| Passing
|
269 att (22nd); 247 comp; 66.9% comp per. (10th); 7.1 Y/A; 2468 net yds; 16 TD; 10 Int |
| Passing leader | Heinicke (363 att (16th), 2613 yds (15th), 67.2% comp perc (12th), 16 TDs / 10 Int, 91.3 QB rating (19th) |
| Receiving leader | McLaurin (786 yds (15th), 98 tgts (10th), 58 rec (20th), 5 TDs, 13.6 YPC (35th)) |
| Rushing | 324 att (10th); 1381 yds; 4.3 Y/A; 125.5 Y/G (9th); 8 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Gibson (183 att (5th), 712 yds (7th), 5 TDs (20th), 3.9 Y/A (37th), long 27) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 24 / 18 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 31:48 / 5 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 39.16% / 17 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 47.22% / 31 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 23 (points) / 15 (total yards) / 18 (yards per game surrendered) / 29 (yards per play) / 27 (passing yards) / 26 (passing yards per att.) / 4 (rushing yards) / 12 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 282 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 359.3 |
| Opponent’s passing | 395 att (18th); 268 comp; 67.8% comp perc. (28th); 7.7 Y/A; 2933 net yds; 26 TDs; QB Rating 106.4 (31st) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 251 att (4th); 1019 yds; 4.1 Y/A; 8 TDs; 92.6 Y/G (4th) |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 22 / 23 / Allen (6.0) |
| Tackles leader | Holcomb (92) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 6 / 23 / Jackson, McCain (2) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 51.37% / 32 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 61.11% / 16 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 25.2 Y/R (3rd), 27 returns, long 101 yards (2nd), 1 TD |
| Punt returns | 8.5 Y/R (12th), 8 returns (32nd), long 14 yards (32nd), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 23.7 Y/R (21st), 15 returns (6th), 0 TDs |
| Punt return defense | 9.8 Y/R (26th), 17 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 48.6 Y/P (5th) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank) : 16 / 12 / -4 / 24
Penalties (total accepted # / rank): 62 / 7
Raiders:
Las Vegas has scored 259 points, which is ranked 17th, and are 11th in total yards, 2nd in passing yards, 27th in rushing yards, and 28th in rushing yards per attempt. Quarterback Derek Carr is leading the NFL in passing yards and has a quarterback rating of 97.3. They are bad on both third downs (ranked 29th) and in the red zone (ranked 28th).
The Raiders have surrendered 295 points, which is ranked 30th in the league, 18th in total yards surrendered, 11th passing yards surrendered, 24th in rushing yards surrendered, and 25th in opponent’s rushing yards per carry. Las Vegas is the worst team in the NFL in red zone defense; they’ve given up touchdowns on an astounding 75.86% of red zone trips.
Record: 6 – 5 (4th); Home: 3 – 3; NFC: 2 – 2)
All-time franchise record: 487 – 445 – 11
Offense
| Offensive rankings
|
17 (points) / 11 (total yards) / 6 (yards per game) / 4 (yards per play) / 2 (passing yards) / 3 (passing yards per att.) / 27 (rushing yards) / 28 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points for | 259 |
| Yards per game | 385.6 |
| Passing | 413 att (10th); 278 comp; 67.3% comp per. (8th); 8.3 Y/A; 3262 net yds; 17 TDs; 9 Int |
| Passing leader | Carr (413 att (4th), 3414 yds (1st), 67.3% comp per. (11th), 17 TDs / 9 Int, 97.3 QB rating (13th)) |
| Reception leader | Renfrow (658 yds (27th), 82 targets, 64 rec (23th), 4 TDs (49th), 10.3 Y/C); Waller (643 yds, 84 targets (21st), 53 rec, 2 TDs, 12.1 Y/C (58th)) |
| Rushing | 260 att (25th); 980 yds; 3.8 Y/A; 89.1 Y/G (27th); 10 TDs |
| Rushing leader | Jacobs (111 att (29th), 420 yds (34th), 6 TDs (12th), 3.8 Y/A (39th), long 21 yds (96th)) |
| Sacks surrendered / rank | 25 / 20 |
| Ave time of possession / rank | 29:01 / 22 |
| 3rd down conversion rate / rank | 34.35% / 29 |
| TD percentage in red zone / rank | 50.0% / 28 |
Defense
| Defensive rankings | 30 (points) / 18 (total yards) / 21 (yards per game surrendered) / 11 (yards per play) / 11 (passing yards) / 5 (passing yards per att.) / 24 (rushing yards) / 22 (rushing yards per att.) |
| Points against | 295 |
| Yards per game surrendered | 360.5 |
| Opponent’s passing | 409 att (12th); 272 comp; 66.5% comp per. (19th); 6.6 Y/A; 2581 net yds; 20 TDs; QB rating 97.3 (24th) |
| Opponent’s rushing | 315 att (23rd); 1385 yds; 4.4 Y/A; 11 TDs |
| Sacks / rank / Sack leader | 25 / 20 / Ngakoue (8.0) |
| Tackles leader | Perryman (121) |
| Int / rank / Int leader | 4 / 32 / Abram, Facyson, Moehrig, Mullen (1) |
| Opponent 3rd down conv rate / rank | 42.07% / 24 |
| Opponent TD percentage in red zone / rank | 75.86% / 32 |
Special Teams
| Kick returns | 19.8 Y/R (25th), 22 returns, long 32 yards (27th), 0 TDs |
| Punt returns | 8.6 Y/R (11th), 19 returns, long 21 yards (18th), 0 TDs |
| Kick return defense | 22.7 Y/R (20th), 26 returns, 1 TD |
| Punt return defense | 12.6 Y/R (31st), 22 returns, 0 TDs |
| Punting | 51.2 Y/P (1st) |
Turnovers (lost by O / recv’d by D / net / rank): 12 / 12 / 0 / 17
Penalties (total accepted # / rank: 89 / 31
* Statistics courtesy of www.pro-football-reference.com, www.nflpenalties.com, www.nfl.com, www.teamrankings.com, www.espn.com, www.sportingcharts.com