Vs.
By Scary Barry Rodriguez September 29, 2013
Oracle coliseum , Oakland , Ca - The Oakland Raiders started their game with a bang against the Washington Redskins. Early in the first quarter Rashad Jennings blocked a Sava Rocca punt deep in Redskins territory and Jeremy Stewart pounced on the ball in the end zone for an Oakland touchdown ! The Redskins were stunned !
There was blood in the water and the Raider fans were the sharks intent on eating Washington for lunch ! Then still in the first quarter Matt Flynn , playing in place of Terrelle Pryor , hit TE Mychal Rivera 18 yard strike for another touch down. Already behind 14-0 the Redskin offense tried to regroup in the second quarter and could only manage a 25 yard field goal from John Potter . With a chance to put away Washington early Matt Flynn , showed his rust by holding onto the ball too long and this resulted in a banner day for the Redskin defense , especially TE Ryan Kerrigan and Brian Orakpo . They had two sacks apiece . Washington's defense scored when David Amerson returned an interception for a 45 yard touchdown.
The Raider defense held Robert Griffin III in check during the first half but the offense couldn't produce more points ! The score at halftime was 14-10 . Oakland had dominated the first half. Washington appeared ripe for the picking. It didn't help that Darren McFadden and Marcel Reese left the game with injuries. This didn't bode well for the second half !
The second half was all Redskins. Despite the Raider defense continuing to play tough, the offense didn't do their part. Matt Flynn struggled and kept getting sacked. Oakland couldn't convert on crucial third down plays. Eventually RG3 found his stride. He hit RB Pierre Garcon for 5 yard touch down strike in the third quarter , putting the Redskins ahead at 17-14.
Time and again the Raider offense ran out of gas. Then Washington used their running backs Pierre Garcon and Roy Helu Jr. to grind out yards while the game clock kept on winding down. Rashad Jennings tried to fill the gaps in the Oakland offense with hard earned rushing and receiving yards. With Darren McFadden out of the game and behind in the score Matt Flynn had to pass. The Washington defense busted through the offensive line and Flynn had no time !
In the fourth quarter Roy Helu Jr. scored on a tackle breaking 14 yard run to put the score at 24 -14. The Raiders didn't lay down . The defense played hard on every down. The offense just couldn't break out . Matt Flynn was much more effective in the second half but it wasn't reflected in the score. Sebastian Janikowski missed a 52 yard field goal and that didn't help.
Charles Woodson , Kevin Burnett and the entire defense played their hearts out. The Raider had the opportunity but couldn't seal the deal against a better football team. Both teams lost many players to injury during the course of the game. At times it seemed like a Red Cross disaster scenario practice not a football game .
The game statistics between the teams were not markedly different. It just came down to execution at crucial points in the game. RG3 had modest numbers 18/31 , 227 yards , one touchdown and one pick. Matt Flynn was 21/31 , 227 yards , one touchdown and one pick. The seven sacks recorded by the Washington Redskins is what kept the Raiders offense down. The Oakland defense was on the field far too long. The running game went down in the first half when Darren McFadden and Marcel Reese went out due to injuries. Even the valiant efforts of Rashad Jennings to fill the gaps in offense couldn't overcome the injuries of the players and Matt Flynn's poor play due to lack of actual game time experience in the 2013 season. The Raider fans backed up the team and the players didn't quit !
Heart alone isn't enough to win sometimes. The Redskins , before the game were on the verge of going win less in four games. They felt more pressure than Oakland, a team in a rebuilding mode ! There was progress for the Raiders. For Dennis Allen it is a challenge to mold veterans from different teams and rookies into a cohesive unit . The fans will have to wait for Terrelle Pryor to play again. The pieces have to be put together.
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