As the Washington Redskins get closer to the start of another season, Redskins.com will preview all 16 of the team's regular season games continuing with today's look against the Oakland Raiders.
The Raiders made it back into the playoffs last season for the first time since 2003, as Oakland went 12-4 in the regular season and had an NFL-high seven Pro Bowlers.
Last Game vs. Oakland: Won 24-14 on Sept. 29, 2013
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Oakland's Key Additions:** Traded for RB Marshawn Lynch (Seattle), signed TE Jared Cook (Green Bay), signed LB Jelani Jenkins (Miami), drafted CB Gareon Conley (Ohio State)
Oakland's Key Subtractions: S Nate Allen (signed with Miami), CB D.J. Hayden (signed with Detroit), DL Stacy McGee (signed with Washington), RB Latavius Murray (signed with Minnesota)
Oakland's Pro Bowlers: QB Derek Carr, WR Amari Cooper, C Rodney Hudson, DE Khalil Mack, S Reggie Nelson, G Kelechi Osemele, T Donald Penn
The Redskins will appear in their first of five nationally televised primetime matchups during the 2017 when they host the Raiders in Week 3. It will mark the first time the two three-time Super Bowl-winning teams have faced off since the 2013 season.
Washington's rebuilt defensive line could be tested early and often by Marshawn Lynch, a five-time Pro Bowler who is back in the NFL after briefly retiring.
Lynch was traded to Oakland from the Seattle Seahawks, where the running back rushed for 6,347 yards and 57 touchdowns in six years.
Oakland's belief is that Lynch can be a veteran presence on an offense that is centered around 26-year-old quarterback Derek Carr, who has reportedly agreed to a long-term deal with the Raiders.
Carr is coming off the best season of his career, as the Fresno State product threw for nearly 4,000 yards with 28 touchdowns to six interceptions in 15 regular season games last year before suffering a broken fibula in Week 15.
Carr's primary receiver is 2015 first-round pick Amari Cooper, who has recorded 2,223 yards and 11 touchdowns in his first two NFL seasons. Opposite Cooper is 2009 first-round pick Michael Crabtree, who has rebounded in Oakland after struggling in his final two seasons with the San Francisco 49ers.
The 29-year-old recorded 89 receptions for 1,003 yards and eight touchdowns last year. Joining them is veteran tight end Jared Cook, who recorded 30 receptions for 377 yards and one touchdown in 10 games with the Green Bay Packers last year.
The Raiders also return three Pro Bowl offensive linemen and signed former New York Giants guard Marshall Newhouse, who has started 56 games in his career.
Defensively, the Raiders are led by 2016 NFL Defensive Player of the Year Khalil Mack. During the 2016 season, the two-time first-team All-Pro recorded 73 tackles with 11 sacks, five fumbles forced, three passes defensed and an interception.
Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin, meanwhile, tied for the NFL-high in fumbles forced last season with six.
In the secondary, meanwhile, the Raiders boast three former first-round picks including 33-year-old safety Reggie Nelson.
Nelson started all 16 games last year – his first in Oakland – and tallied 65 tackles with 12 passes defensed and five interceptions.
A win in this game would push the Redskins' all-time Sunday Night Football record to 18-17-1 since the team's first appearance on the broadcast package in 1987.
2017 Season Previews:
