The Washington Redskins will return home next week for a Sunday Night Football matchup with the AFC West's Oakland Raiders. It is the first meeting between the teams since the 2013 regular season.
It's been a while since the Washington Redskins met up with the Oakland Raiders. On Sunday, burgundy and gold clashes with black and silver for the first time in four years at FedExField in Landover Md.
The nationally televised game will kick off at 8:30 p.m. on NBC.
Washington defeated Oakland 24-14 back in 2013, before quarterback Derek Carr had been drafted and Matt Flynn was leading the offense. It will also be the first time Oakland has played a game in Washington since 2005.
Both teams have seen significant roster changes since their Week 4 meeting in 2013. Quarterback Kirk Cousins, who did not start in that game, will look to rebound at home after a Week 1 loss to the Eagles.
Meanwhile, Carr is coming off a two-game winning streak against the Tennessee Titans and New York Jets. Carr sits at the helm of a dangerous offense. In 2016, he nearly passed for 4,000 yards and 28 touchdowns with only six interceptions. The fourth-year quarterback from Fresno State is coming off a season that might have ended in a Super Bowl appearance had he not gone down with an injury just before the playoffs began.
Wide receiver Michael Crabtree proved to be a wise addition by the team since being signed in 2015. The nine-year veteran is coming off his second 1,000-yard season. Crabtree, paired with third-year receiver Amari Cooper, gives Carr two tall targets that can often be hit for big gains down the field.
The Raider offense also made one of the flashier moves in the offseason, adding formerly retired running back Marshawn Lynch to the roster. Lynch, an Oakland native, is expected to say goodbye to football for good once the Raiders move to Las Vegas in 2020. Despite spending an entire season away from the game, the 31-year-old ground-and-pound rusher has not missed a step in his return, gaining 76 yards in Week 1 and 45 yards with a touchdown in Week 2.
On the opposite side of the ball, the Raiders addressed holes in the roster by drafting three defensive players in the first three rounds of the 2017 NFL Draft. This came after the Oakland defense allowed 4,120 yards through the air and 1,881 yards on the ground in 2016.
Cornerback Gareon Conley was selected in the first round and will look to take advantage of the still developing relationship between Cousins and receiver Terrell Pryor Sr.
At linebacker, former Seattle Seahawk Bruce Irvin enters his second season clad in black and silver. His debut season with Oakland saw him record 57 tackles and seven sacks. Up front, the Raiders have defensive end Khalil Mack to disrupt opponents' passing game. Mack came away with 77 tackles and 11 sacks in 2016.
