Breaking down Raiders’ next opponent: Washington Football Team

The Raiders are inactive jockeying for playoff presumption amid the highs and lows of the 2021 season. So excessively is the Washington Football Team.

Washington has won 3 consecutive games to amended to 5-6 and has power of the No. 7 effect successful the NFC for the clip being. But the Minnesota Vikings, Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints are besides 5-6, and the Philadelphia Eagles and Carolina Panthers loom astatine 5-7 and further complicate the playoff picture.

Sunday’s matchup betwixt Washington and the Raiders is astir similar a de facto playoff crippled for some teams with everything that’s connected the enactment astatine this constituent successful the season.

Here’s a person look astatine Washington up of the Sunday matchup.

Offense

Quarterback Taylor Heinicke has seized the reigns arsenic Washington’s starter. He is steadying the discourtesy with 2,613 passing yards and 16 touchdowns against 10 interceptions. He tin run successful the pouch and widen plays with his mobility.

He has 279 rushing yards and a people this season. The Raiders indispensable beryllium alert of his abilities arsenic a runner.

Third-year speedster Terry McLaurin is Heinicke’s apical enactment connected the perimeter. He has a team-high 58 catches for 786 yards and 5 touchdowns. Second-year moving backmost Antonio Gibson has a team-high 712 rushing yards, albeit connected lone 3.9 yards per carry.

Washington is comparatively balanced offensively, totaling 369 passing plays and 324 runs — respective of which are designed passes that Heinicke aborts to summation yards connected the ground. They premix a just magnitude of play action. Heinicke ranked 11th successful play-action walk attempts done Week 11, according to Pro Football Reference.

Defense

Top walk rushers Chase Young and Montez Sweat are retired with injuries, but Washington remains dependable defensively successful its portion sum schemes. During its three-game winning streak, its defence has been connected the tract for an mean of 21:06, the lowest people successful the NFL during that span.

Landon Collins is simply a information by commercialized but is playing much toward the enactment of scrimmage successful a hybrid role. He has 69 tackles and six tackles for loss, serving arsenic 1 of Washington’s astir disruptive players.

Fifth-year antiaircraft tackle Jonathan Allen is simply a unit up beforehand and has a team-high six sacks to spell with 8 tackles for loss. He anchors a tally defence that allows 92.6 yards per game, making it the fourth- champion rushing defence successful the NFL.

But Washington’s walk defence is vulnerable. Opposing quarterbacks person totaled 26 touchdowns against six interceptions this play portion compiling a backmost standing of 106.4.

Special Teams

Kicker Joey Slye was placed connected injured reserve Tuesday, clearing the mode for Washington to motion rookie Brian Johnson. The erstwhile Virginia Tech specializer played 4 games with the Saints, making each 8 of his tract goals.

Punter Tress Way is among the champion successful the NFL, averaging 48.6 yards per kick.

Contact newsman Sam Gordon astatine sgordon@reviewjournal.com. Follow @BySamGordon connected Twitter.