Marcus Mariota will be stepping in for the injured Jayden Daniels as he faces one of his former teams.
Mariota and offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury form a strong tandem, providing Washington with one of the best backup quarterback situations in the NFL.
Keys:
Pressure Geno Smith
Last week, the Los Angeles Chargers forced Smith to be patient, and he struggled with it mightily, resulting in three interceptions.
Washington can count on the Raiders’ offensive coordinator, Chip Kelly, to make adjustments that help Smith strike a balance between being aggressive and taking what the defense gives him.
If Washington flushes Smith out of the pocket, the Raiders aren’t full of receivers who can take the top off the defense.
And, of course, it could open up interception possibilities.
Ground Game
Washington lost Austin Ekeler for the season late in the Green Bay game.
It starts with opening holes for Jacory Croskey-Merritt, finding holes against a Raiders run defense that wasn’t bad against the Chargers. Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. should also get opportunities.
More importantly, one of the three will need to show that they can pass block, especially if the Commanders want to try and chip Maxx Crosby.
Stay Aggressive
Last season, Washington was good at going for it on fourth down. With each conversion, you could see the offense get more and more arrogant in a good way.
Washington has had that edge on offense in the first two games of the season. The unit has almost been too cool.
