The Commanders bounce back in a big way with win over Raiders.
The Washington Commanders improved to 2-1 on the season Sunday with a 41-24 win over the Las Vegas Raiders. It was a dominant performance by Washington's offense without starting quarterback Jayden Daniels. Marcus Mariota received the start for the Commanders, completing 15 of 21 passes for 207 yards and a touchdown. Mariota also rushed for 40 yards and a touchdown.
Washington's run defense was excellent, holding the Raiders to just over three yards per attempt, but it did allow a few big plays in the passing game, notably to wide receiver Tre Tucker, who had a big game. The Commanders' special teams showed up, too, as rookie wide receiver Jaylin Lane returned a punt 90 yards for his first career touchdown.
Final score: Commanders 41, Raiders 24
Numbers to know
- 400: For the second time in three games, the Commanders have 400 yards or more of total offense.
- 201: Also, for the second time in three games, the Commanders rush for over 200 yards. Jeremy McNichols paced the rushing attack with 78 yards on four carries, including a 60-yard touchdown run. Mariota rushed for 40, Chris Rodriguez had 39 yards, Bill Croskey-Merritt had 26 yards and Deebo Samuel finished with 18 yards on the ground.
- 127: Lane had 127 punt return yards, including the 90-yard return for a touchdown. He averaged over 25 yards per return.
- 93: Samuel had 93 yards on two kick returns, including a 69-yarder to open the game and set up Washington's first touchdown.
- 11: Bobby Wagner had 11 tackles and two sacks. The future Hall of Famer goes over 10 tackles for the third game in a row.
It was over when.....
Lane returned the punt 90 yards for the touchdown early in the third quarter. It extended Washington's lead to 27-10, and the Commanders never looked back again.
3 stars of the game
- QB Marcus Mariota: 15/21, 207 passing yards, touchdown, six carries, 40 yards, rushing touchdown
- RB Jeremy McNichols: 4 carries, 78 yards, touchdown
- LB Bobby Wagner: 11 tackles, 2 sacks, 2 TFLs, 3 QB hits
What's next?
The Commanders go back on the road in Week 4 with an NFC showdown against the Atlanta Falcons. Jayden Daniels' status will be something to monitor throughout the week. The Falcons benched second-year quarterback Michael Penix Jr. in Sunday's embarrassing loss to the Carolina Panthers. Kirk Cousins replaced him. Could we see Cousins against Washington next week?
This article originally appeared on Commanders Wire: Washington Commanders: Instant analysis from 41-24 win over Raiders
Category: Football
