Redskins vs Raiders Notes

Well, the Redskins won a game. It was a game they were supposed to win and at times it wasn't pretty. The Raiders were without their starting QB and their star running back was injured early on but a win is a win. And to be honest it isn't something to scoff at. It's important to remember that the Raiders backup QB might not be much worse than their starter, though Flynn doesn't have the athletic ability of Pryor. The Redskins went down 14-0 with 7 of those points coming off of a blocked punt. Yet, they came back and won the game not allowing another score from the Raiders for the rest of the game. Players who have been struggling lately had big games (Orakpo, Amerson, Meriweather). It is a big win and the Redskins can lift their heads going into the bye week.

1. The defense still had some tackling problems but the secondary played much better against a mediocre Raiders receiving core. Amerson came up with a big interception which he took for a touchdown and only rally had 2 bad plays the whole game. Orakpo also looked much better in coverage and almost had a pick of his own.

2. It seems as though Flynn was being sacked on every other play. Orakpo, Kerrigan and Cofield all came up with 2 sacks. Cofield is playing lights out since getting the club off his hand and has been a top defensive player for the Redskins the past two weeks.

3. Some big tackles were missed and the one who I saw making the most mistakes was London Fletcher. It seems to me that age has really caught up to him at this point.

4. Alfred Morris was injured but before he had to come out of the game he looked good. At times there wasn't much of a hole but he consistently got extra yards with his power and quick cuts. He has great balance and is just an impressive running back.

5. RGIII was inaccurate early and had a few balls sail on him but he looked better later on and had one nice play where he escaped pressure like RGIII of old. He escaped the pocket and seemed to move much better than he was the first 2 weeks. It was a game where he seemed to show sparks of great play and then really struggle at other times. However, I'm still confused as to how he didn't see Woodson coming on the blitz on a 4th down play.

6. Offensive line play wasn't impressive to me. Didn't give Morris too many holes in the run game and RGIII came under pressure too quickly too often.

7. Roy Helu had a solid game when asked to come in for an injured Morris though I wouldn't feel good about him as a long term starter or work load back.

8. Garçon is absolutely a bright spot for a still struggling offense. He is simply fantastic with his speed and open field elusiveness. His touchdown was a great throw by RGIII with lots of power and accuracy. The play was also a good call something I saw a lot of in this game. Kyle Shanahan seemed to design some very impressive plays that worked extremely well in this game. Hankerson also had a good game though I feel like the absence of Jordan Reed hurt the offense more than people realize.

9.  Overall, the performance wasn't flawless or even all that great but the Redskins deserve credit for only allowing 7 points to the Raiders offense and playing very well at times against a solid to good Raiders defense. For what it is worth this defense is the only one who held the Broncos to under 40 points so far this season.

10. It looks like the Redskins will actually have a chance to play the Cowboys for first place in the division after the bye. However, the schedule as a whole is not favorable as after the Cowboys game the Redskins have to games vs Bears, at the Broncos, vs Chargers and @ the Vikings in consecutive games. All of those look like extremely tough games and the Redskins will need to win a few that they aren't supposed to. 1-3 isn't ideal but in a very weak division it also isn't bad enough to knock the Redskins out of the division race. (Giants 0-4, Eagles 1-3, Cowboys 2-2)