Former Heisman Trophy winner and backup quarterback Marcus Mariota led the Washington Commanders to a 2-1 record by securing a 41-24 win against the Las Vegas Raiders Sept. 21, despite starting quarterback Jayden Daniels being out due to an injury.
The Washington Commanders (2-1) hosted the Las Vegas Raiders (1-2) Sunday afternoon at Northwest Stadium. With phenom Jayden Daniels out with a knee sprain, the originally lopsided game against the rebuilding Raiders squad was primed to be an entertaining matchup.
The Commanders started off the game with a bang off the back of a 69-yard kickoff return from wide receiver Deebo Samuel. With great field position, Washington was able to run the ball the rest of their opening drive, capping it off with a 2-yard rushing touchdown from Mariota.
Commanders kicker Matt Gay had a rough day — his struggles started with a kickoff that went out of bounds, giving the Raiders an advantageous field position. Las Vegas’ opening drive started off hot as quarterback Geno Smith connected with wide receiver Jakobi Meyers for a 45-yard pass into the red zone. However, with an amazing red zone stand by the Commanders, the Raiders were forced to settle for 3 points from a field goal by placekicker Daniel Carlson.
The next two drives for both teams ended poorly. Mariota had an electric run for 22 yards that unfortunately ended with a fumble recovered by the Raiders. Las Vegas were not able to get their offense moving, gaining only 4 yards and leading to a three-and-out. Washington got the ball back, and with some nice throws from Mariota, the Commanders found themselves in the red zone again. The Commanders were unable to capitalize on their red zone chances and opted to kick a field goal, which Gay missed from 37 yards. The Raiders then ended the quarter with a three-and-out and an injury to their 2023 second-round draft pick tight end, Michael Mayer, who was later assessed to have suffered a concussion on the final play of their drive. The first quarter ended with a score of 7-3 with the Commanders ahead by 4.
Washington started off the second quarter with a promising drive that ultimately stalled out due to offensive holding and false start penalties, eventually leading to a 46-yard field goal from Gay.
Las Vegas was finally able to get a touchdown on the board off a 10-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tre Tucker, tying the game at 10-10 in the fifth minute of the second quarter. Washington was quick to respond with an electrifying 60-yard rushing touchdown from running back Jeremey McNichols — his first of the season. The Raiders punted the next drive. The Commanders, with 27 seconds left in the half, were able to get into the field goal range from a facemask penalty by defensive aid Malcolm Koonce during a sack attempt on Mariota — Gay drilled the field goal to put the Commanders up 20-10 at halftime.
Coming into the third quarter, neither team was able to do anything with their first two drives as both ended in punts. The Raiders’ second drive of the half also ended in a punt that cornerback Jaylin Lane returned for a 90-yard punt return touchdown. Las Vegas then punted the ball for the third time in the third quarter. Mariota was then able to find wide receiver Terry McLaurin for a deep 57-yard bomb to reach the Raiders’ 1-yard line — running back Jacory Croskey-Merrit punched the ball in for the 1-yard rushing touchdown. The quarter ended with the Commanders out in front 34-10.
As the fourth quarter kicked off, the Raiders were able to find the endzone again with a 10-yard touchdown pass from Smith to Tucker. The Commanders punted on their first drive of the quarter. Las Vegas’ second drive looked promising with big throws from Smith, but the Raiders were inevitably shut down on fourth and 1 by the Commanders’ defense.
Washington was unable to capitalize on their defense’s efforts and punted the ball again. On Las Vegas’ next drive, Smith was able to connect with his favorite target, Tucker, for a 61-yard touchdown to cut the score to 34-24. Tucker had an absolutely monster game with 8 receptions for 145 yards and 3 touchdowns, with 2 of those touchdowns coming in the fourth quarter.
The Commanders were able to put the game away for good when Mariota found wide receiver Luke McCaffrey for a 43-yard touchdown right before the 2-minute warning, putting the Commanders up by 17. The Raiders, knowing the game was over, opted to run the ball out, leading to a final score of 41-24 for Washington. The Commanders were able to bounce back from the prior week’s tough loss against the Green Bay Packers despite missing their starting quarterback.
The Commanders dominated the Raiders with a strong rushing attack that contributed 3 touchdowns and 201 yards, and a spectacular 90-yard punt return touchdown from Lane.
Despite the loss, Smith had a great game with 289 yards and 3 touchdowns, demonstrating his ability to bounce back after his 3-interception showing last week against the Los Angeles Chargers.
The Commanders will start their two-game road trip against the Atlanta Falcons (1-2) at Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta, Ga., Sept. 28.