Behind Enemy Lines with Washington Wire

The Raiders will host the Washington Football Team in Week 13 of the 2021 season. With the Raiders sitting at 6-5, it’s a huge game for them with playoff implications.

To prepare for the game on Sunday, we spoke with Bryan Manning of Washington Wire to discuss the Washington Football Team.

How has Taylor Heinicke played so far this season?

Heinicke had some brilliant moments early in the season in wins over the Giants and Falcons. However, outside of that, he was inconsistent. Things changed since Washington’s bye week.

Heinicke is still using his legs to make plays and evade pass-rushers, but, most importantly, he’s avoiding negative plays. He’s learned to throw the ball away or check it down. That’s growth from Heinicke, who still has only started 12 career games.

Chase Young will miss the rest of the season due to a knee injury. How much has that hurt the defense so far?

This is meant with no disrespect to Young, but not at all. At some point, it will. But Young only had 1.5 sacks into Week 10. Sure, sacks don’t tell the entire story, but Young wasn’t coming close to the quarterbacks in some weeks.

The defense has been playing as a unit over the last several weeks and has held opponents under 300 total yards in five of the last six games. The big plays that killed Washington earlier in the season, have stopped for the most part, too. Young is a fantastic talent who will be a star, but Washington hasn’t missed him — yet. 3.

Give us one under-the-radar player to keep an eye on in this game.

With J.D. McKissic out, that answer is wide receiver DeAndre Carter on offense. Carter is also Washington’s punt and kick returner. However, due to injuries at wide receiver this season, he was forced to play a larger role there and has thrived, scoring touchdowns in three consecutive weeks at one point. Carter is a versatile weapon that Heinicke trusts. He’s been the WFT’s second-best receiver behind Terry McLaurin this season.

What is the best way to attack Washington’s defense?

Through the air. While Washington’s pass defense has improved, it is easier to pass against Washington than run. There are still ways to attack the WFT secondary. Even if Waller is out, Las Vegas would be wise to target Foster Moreau against Washington.

We’ve seen a lot of DeSean Jackson over the years, both as a player for Washington — and against Washington. If Jackson plays, the Raiders use Jackson to test Washington’s secondary early in the game. It will open things up.

Who wins this game and why? Washington is red-hot right now. However, after a physical battle on Monday night, the WFT is facing a number of key injuries, including Landon Collins and J.D. McKissic. Washington was down to its fourth center last week. Due to those injuries, a short week and a trip west, the advantage clearly lies with the Raiders.

Raiders 21, Washington 16

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