*This week's Redskins Drive of the Game, presented by Ford, was an 11-play, 72-yard scoring drive finished off by a Vernon Davis 18-yard touchdown catch that gave the Redskins a two-score lead. * Without tight end Jordan Reed available Sunday night against the Raiders, quarterback Kirk Cousins and the Redskins leaned on Vernon Davis to make up for any lost production. Once again, the veteran tight end came through.
After already snagging a 26-yard pass in the first quarter to convert on the team's first third-down, which led to an opening drive touchdown, Davis continued to be a reliable target. In the second quarter, he streaked over the middle, beating cornerback Sean Smith and grabbed a perfectly placed pass near the back of the end zone for the Redskins' second touchdown of the night.
It capped an 11-play, 72-yard drive that ate up six minutes and 10 seconds in the team's decisive 27-10 victory over Oakland, the product of another balanced offensive attack.
"It looked to me that they did split safety coverage. They played man up on Vernon," Cousins said. "The goal was to beat his man down the field to find a seam between the two safeties and I just have to throw it out there. Vernon is a big asset to our team. You know that Jordan [Reed] is not always healthy. The fact that Vernon has the speed that he has and the experience and can make the plays with the last year and half – what an asset to our offense."
The drive started on the Washington 28-yard line, where running back Samaje Perine, filling in for an injured Rob Kelley, rushed for nine and then three yards on consecutive plays to pick up a first down. Cousins dropped back and found wide receiver Ryan Grant for 11 yards near the sideline, and the back and forth air and ground game continued.
Perine rushed for eight yards, then Cousins rolled to his right and found wide receiver Terrelle Pryor Sr. by the sideline for 12 more. The Redskins collected several more short yardage plays – including a two-yard pass to Davis and a six-yard pass to wide receiver Jamison Crowder on a slant route to convert on third down.
After the first negative passing play of the drive to Crowder, Cousins dropped back and found Davis, showing off his speed to beat the corner in front of him. Davis celebrated with his signature jump shot, now a legal move, and put the ball through the goal posts and into the stands.
"It was one of those plays that we run in practice," Davis said. "They called it, I made the proper moves that I was supposed to make, just looked up for the ball, and it was there."
