For lack of better words, the Raiders were bullied by a physical Washington Commanders team, resulting in a 41-24 defeat.

The Commanders got off to an explosive start, as their playmaking receiver Deebo Samuel Jr. recorded a 69-yard kick return, already placing their offense in scoring position.

Washington followed up with five straight rushes that ended in quarterback Marcus Mariota rushing into the end zone for two yards.

On the Raiders’ first drive of the game, they also found early success with a 45-yard catch and run by Jakobi Meyers off a play action pass from Geno Smith. However, two run stops and a incomplete pass to Brock Bowers forced a Daniel Carlson 37-yard field goal.

Mariota continued using his legs with what could’ve been a huge chunk play on a read option. However, defensive tackle Thomas Booker IV hustled down the field to punch the ball out of the quarterback’s hands. Booker’s college teammate, Kyu Blu Kelly picked up the fumble recovery at the Raiders 24-yard line.

While the fumble prevented the Commanders from putting more points on the board, the offense couldn’t capitalize on the momentum from the turnover as Washington forced a three-and-out.

The Commanders took a 10-7 lead in the second quarter with a 45-yard field goal made by Matt Gay, serving as redemption for a missed field goal wide left in the first quarter.

The Raiders offense responded with their best drive of running the ball on the day. Ashton Jeanty picked up 34 yards on the ground, and the nine-play, 80-yard drive ended with Smith finding Tre Tucker wide open for a 10-yard touchdown pass, their second touchdown connection of the season. Jeanty finished the game with a career-high 63 rushing yards against Washington.

“Once we got going, I thought Ashton did a really good job with his opportunities,” Pete Carroll said postgame. “He got a lot of carries today. It was a good ball game for him. It was tough and he played tough.”

After tying the game at 10 points midway through the second quarter, things took an unfortunate turn for the Silver and Black.