3 takeaways from Raiders’ loss to Commanders: Defense unprepared early

By
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby (98) reacts to a flag thrown against the team with Washington ...

LANDOVER, Md. — The Raiders’ fragile history is all the proof they need that an early-season blowout loss can’t be swept under the rug.

Whether they heed all the warning signs from Sunday’s 41-24 meltdown against the Jayden Daniels-less Washington Commanders remains to be seen. But it is critically important that they do.

If they can’t be humbled back to reality after the across-the-board beatdown, during which the Commanders hammered them with one big play after another and the offensive line was horrendous for the third straight game, what will shake them to their senses?

“I know people say, “Oh, you can’t overreact. But I think you can have a controlled reaction,” linebacker Elandon Roberts said. “And I think our team is mature enough to have a controlled reaction.”

Here are three takeaways from the loss at Northwest Stadium:

1. Raiders defense not prepared

The Raiders (1-2) weren’t ready to play in any phase to start the game, especially on defense.

After Deebo Samuel took the opening kickoff 69 yards, the Commanders gashed the defense with simple run plays to drive the remaining 27 yards for a touchdown and 7-0 lead. Former Raiders quarterback Marcus Mariota, starting for the injured Daniels, scored on a 2-yard run, part of his efficient day that produced 207 yards passing and one TD and 40 yards rushing.

It was a sign of things to come, as the Commanders bullied the Raiders for 174 of their 201 yards rushing in the first half.

Between its offense and special teams, Washington (2-1) blasted the Raiders with five plays of at least 42 yards and three of at least 60.

In each case, the Raiders showed a serious lack of fight and physicality.

“That’s on all of us. I’m not going to put the blame on anybody. It’s on everybody,” safety Isaiah Pola-Mao said. “We have to get that off our tape. It’s no excuse. It’s just on everybody.”

It included a 60-yard touchdown run by Jeremy McNichols in which three Raiders missed tackles, turning what should have been a short gain into a tie-breaking touchdown.

The long score immediately followed Geno Smith’s 10-yard touchdown throw to Tre Tucker to tie the game 10-10.

Just like that, the Raiders trailed 17-10.

The Raiders’ defense also committed two costly first-half penalties, including Malcolm Koonce’s third-down facemask that gave the Commanders a first down late in the half. The Raiders paid for the infraction, with Matt Gay kicking a 56-yard field goal as time expired to give the Commanders a 20-10 lead.

It was not much better in the second half, as Terry McLaurin burned cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly for a 56-yard reception to set up Jacory Croskey-Merritt’s 1-yard touchdown run and a 34-10 lead.

“We have to be better, because it starts right with that,” coach Pete Carroll said. “If you give up big plays, you’re no good. And we were no good.”

2. Embarrassing day for special teams

As if Samuel’s 69-yard kickoff return wasn’t bad enough, the Raiders’ punt team also surrendered a 90-yard touchdown return to Jaylin Lane to give the Commanders a 27-10 lead in the third quarter.

Credit to Lane, but the real issue was the lack of effort by the coverage team, which didn’t get one hand on the rookie as he sprinted untouched through the heart of its coverage.

“Their kicking game was really explosive,” Carroll said. “It just looked like we were off. It’s not schemewise, it’s just physically. I think I didn’t get them right. So I’m taking this one.”

It was an entirely different story for the Raiders’ return teams. Zamir White allowed a kickoff to roll past him into the end zone for a touchback, and Dylan Laube failed to return a kickoff beyond the Raiders’ 19-yard line in the third quarter.

White, who has struggled all season with his returns, was eventually replaced by Tucker, the Raiders’ lone bright spot. He scored all three of their touchdowns, including a 61-yarder on a pass from Smith late in the game, and finished with eight catches for 145 yards.

3. Offensive line bad again

The Raiders have 14 games left to straighten out the offensive line. But for now, it’s obvious the club made a massive miscalculation with this group.

No one is above blame for the complete meltdown Sunday. Right tackle DJ Glaze got beaten up all day and was particularly bad in pass protection. Smith was under constant pressure, mostly because of Glaze’s inability to hold up at the point of attack.

Alex Cappa, who started at right guard ahead of Jackson Powers-Johnson, was not much better. Nor was center Jordan Meredith, left guard Dylan Parham nor left tackle Kolton Miller. Each was guilty of blatant missed blocks, leading to five sacks for the Commanders.

Meredith said the Raiders had a good plan and the Commanders essentially did what they expected. But the execution left a lot to be desired.

“It’s got to be better,” Meredith said.

The Raiders were slightly better in run blocking, though rookie Ashton Jeanty deserves most of the credit for his career-high 63 yards rushing. As has been the case all season, Jeanty did not have much room to run, but he showed patience and fought for his yards.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.

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