Las Vegas Raiders (1-1) vs. Washington Commanders (1-1)

When: Sunday 10:05 am PST

Where: Northwest Stadium | Landover, Maryland

Radio: Raider Nation Radio 920AM

Raiders: QUESTIONABLE: CB Decamerion Richardson (hamstring)

Commanders: OUT: QB Jayden Daniels (knee), WR Noah Brown (groin, knee), TE John Bates (groin)

What’s at stake? A better than .500 start to the season. 

For the Commanders, it’s a true chance for a statement as they are entering this game without star quarterback Jayden Daniels, who will be sidelined with a knee injury. Taking his place is Marcus Mariota, who happens to be an old friend of Raiders’ offensive coordinator Chip Kelly from his Mariota’s early days in college with the Oregon Ducks. 

For the Raiders, they need all the ground they can get in an AFC West that’s proving, once again, to be the toughest and deepest division in all of football. It’s also a huge opportunity for the Raiders to take advantage of facing a team without it’s star quarterback, although it’s one of those games you won’t get much credit for winning and will take a lot of heat for losing.

Who’s better? With Jayden Daniels? Washington. Without? The Raiders. 

Raiders win if: Geno Smith plays like the quarterback we saw in Week 1 against the Patriots as opposed to the quarterback we saw in Week 2 against the Chargers. It seems the Raiders are developing somewhat of a mantra as road warriors internally, which could bode well in a DMV environment that has come back to life alongside the franchise.

Commanders win if: The offensive supporting cast around Marcus Mariota makes his life easier and keeps him off the ground, which won’t be an easy task against the elite pass rushing combination that is Maxx Crosby and Tyree Wilson. Forcing a turnover or two wouldn’t hurt the cause. 

Fantasy Sleeper: Dont’e Thornton Jr. Geno Smith is the last of a dying breed in that he still loves to sling the ball downfield with little regard, and rookie Dont’e Thornton is already proving to be a formidable deep threat just a few games into his pro career. He’s not going to haul in 10 catches, but there’s always a chance he hits a home run or two. 

Prediction: Raiders 23-17