Raiders report: Tre Tucker’s career day wasted in ugly loss

LANDOVER, Md. — Raiders wide receiver Tre Tucker wasn’t willing to say he had the best game of his young career in Sunday’s 41-24 loss to the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.

“Stats can be misleading,” he said. “I have to watch the film, but it felt good. I think all the targets that came my way, we ended up with them, so that’s a pretty good day.”

Tucker hauled in eight passes on nine targets for 145 yards and three touchdowns, all career highs. It was the first 100-yard receiving game of his three-year career.

While he insisted he will have to watch the film before offering a further assessment of his performance, coach Pete Carroll was ready to render a verdict.

“He had a terrific football game for us, and it was good to see that,” Carroll said.

Tucker was showing signs of a breakout campaign all through the offseason and now has four touchdown catches in three games, eclipsing his career high of three from last season.

It’s not individual success that has driven his hard work, however.

“At the end of the day, winning and losing is what matters,” he said. “I’ve been here a couple years, and I know all the individual (stats are) about what you do in the offseason, but I just want to win. We didn’t get that done. Now we have to come back next week and get it done.”

It’s a similar mindset to his quarterback, Geno Smith.

“Tre’s a great player, and he gave us maximum effort today,” Smith said. “But we’re not here for moral victories. We didn’t win the game, and that’s all that matters.”

Tucker’s day included a 61-yard touchdown catch when he got behind the defense late in the game. It was much too little, much too late for a unit that was too inconsistent.

“We just need to do a little extra,” Tucker said. “We practiced really hard throughout the week, but at the end of the day, it’s the NFL, and sometimes just practicing hard doesn’t get it done. You just have to go work harder, and I think we all do, especially as an offense, to get on the same page and hopefully get this thing rolling.”

Carroll said it’s imperative to find a way to get a largely stagnant run game going so the offense can find balance, but Tucker believes that’s not only on the offensive line.

He said he can do more as a receiver when he’s asked to block.

Rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, who finished with a career-high 63 yards on 17 carries, also took some of the blame.

“It’s not going to be blocked perfect every single time,” he said. “So sometimes you have to make somebody miss, break a tackle and just get some yards.”

‘We just have to play better’

Several offensive linemen acknowledged that the unit struggled to establish control of the line of scrimmage.

“We didn’t play well enough, obviously,” right guard Alex Cappa said. “We have to run the ball better, and we have to give Geno more time.”

Center Jordan Meredith agreed, though he did draw some optimism from the few successful drives the Raiders put together, in particular a couple of run plays when Jeanty reached the second level.

“Think about if you’ve ever had a car break down on you and you had to push it,” Meredith said. “It takes a bit to get it going. Then once it starts flowing, it’s a little better.”

It has appeared as if the Raiders, especially the offensive line, have been pushing a truck uphill the first three weeks of the season.

They hope they can find smoother ground ahead.

“Everybody knows we can do that all the time,” right tackle DJ Glaze said. “We just have to put it together. We’re still looking to play a complete game.”

Never give up

The Raiders forced another turnover and have forced at least one in the first three games of the season for the first time since 2016.

Sunday’s came as the result of some impressive hustle.

Commanders quarterback Marcus Mariota broke free for a 22-yard gain, but was hit from behind by defensive tackle Thomas Booker. The hit jarred the ball loose and kept the Raiders in the game early.

“I think it’s just the way I play football and really the way I do anything,” Booker said. “I’m a high-effort guy, and I want to be around the ball on every play.”

Not much else went right for a defense that allowed 41 points and 400 total yards.

Booker believes the tape will tell the tale even if it’s an ugly one.

“Knee-jerk reactions after games without looking to really analyze can be counterproductive, but when you give up that amount of points, there are some issues with details and assignments,” he said. “We’re ready to take that on the chin and be accountable and work to correct it.”

Mayer injured

Carroll said tight end Michael Mayer suffered a concussion, but he had no further information.

Mayer appeared to be seriously injured after making a hit on a special teams play. The cart was brought out, but Mayer eventually walked to the sideline with the assistance of trainers.

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.