The Oakland Raiders’ offense was manhandled by the Washington Redskins defense in Week 3. Raiders quarterback Derek Carr struggled from the field throwing two interceptions while facing constant pressure resulting in four sacks. The sack total comes as surprise given that Carr had only been sacked six times for the entirety of the 2016 NFL season.
It did not help that Pro Bowl cornerback Josh Norman played like his usual self, locking down both Raiders’ star receivers Michael Crabtree and Amari cooper. Cooper and Crabtree had only one catch a piece totaling 13 yards, one of the worst outings the duo has had in quite some time. According Lorenzo Reyes of USA Today, Norman had plenty to say after Crabtree allegedly dished out some trash talk prior to kickoff:
What was personal, other than them getting their tails whupped?” Norman said after the game. “I mean, first and foremost, you don’t come up in here and say what you’re going to put up on somebody. Two hundred yards? (Crabtree) didn’t catch two balls. He only caught one, huh? So please, whatever you do, do not run your mouth if you’re a wide receiver and expect to show up on Sundays, because I’m telling you, we are here and we are waiting.
“Don’t come out here and tell me what you’re going to do. Show me. You’re going to have to run through me to get that.”
It has been a while since the Raiders offense was as overwhelmed as they were against the Redskins. But the team will certainly look to put this lost behind and move on to next week.
Crabtree and Cooper are one of the best receiving tandems in the league, so look for them to rebound as the season progresses. The Raiders will look for redemption in their Week 4 matchup against the Denver Broncos.
