Raiders look to bounce back against Commanders

After the Los Angeles Chargers knocked the Las Vegas Raiders back down to earth in Week Two, they now have a chance to get back in the win column.

On Sunday, the Raiders head back to the east coast to face the Washington Commanders at Northwest Stadium.

Both teams are looking to get back over .500 in this game, but the storyline this week has revolved around the health of Commanders quarterback Jayden Daniels. Daniels suffered a sprained knee in last Thursday’s loss to the Green Bay Packers, and his status dominated much of the talk heading into the game. On Friday, Daniels was confirmed out against the Raiders, meaning Marcus Mariota will be under center in this game.

Here are three other storylines worth paying attention to as the game goes on.

Familiarity breeds contempt

There will not be any situation that either side will not be prepared for in this game, as the Raiders and Commanders should have good ideas on how the other operates.

Mariota was the backup quarterback for the Raiders in 2020-21, and he was highly sought after by offensive coordinator Chip Kelly during his time as head coach at the University of Oregon. The head coaches in this game also know each other well, as Commanders coach Dan Quinn was defensive coordinator under Raiders counterpart Pete Carroll for two seasons with the Seattle Seahawks, including winning Super Bowl 48 together. This will undeniably be a battle of wits between the coaching staffs, and whoever comes up with a new wrinkle that the other cannot quite catch on to will be the one coming out victorious.

No rest for the wicked

The Raiders are heading into Sunday’s game at a severe rest disadvantage over the Commanders.

Whereas the Commanders have not played a game since last Thursday, the Raiders got a short week of practice after playing the Chargers on Monday. A four-day swing in terms of rest is drastic, especially with the always treacherous east coast trip that teams like the Raiders face. The impact will be felt by the Raiders in the early and late stages of the game, so fending off fatigue is going to be crucial to leave the nation’s capital with a win.

Getting right

The Raiders have many players who are hoping to make a statement in this game, but two that not a lot of people are talking about are edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson.

Neither was able to record a sack against the Chargers, soundly handled by tackles Joe Alt and Trey Pipkins III. That is certain to upset both players, but they have to be licking their chops over a Commanders team that allowed four sacks and six quarterback hits to the Packers last week. Expect at least one edge rusher to put together a big game, hoping to keep Mariota from getting into a rhythm and giving the Raiders secondary some assistance.