1. More Moreau
As expected, Foster Moreau is the next man up this Sunday.
Darren Waller has been listed as doubtful for Sunday's game with a back/knee injury he sustained against the Cowboys. If Waller indeed doesn't play, it shouldn't hinder the Raiders' pass attack. Moreau and Derek Carr have established a good chemistry with one another, connecting for 10 touchdowns across three seasons together. The Raiders are 5-0 this season in games where Moreau has played at least 50 percent of offensive snaps.
"We've kind of gone through this twice. We've gone through it when we didn't have [Waller] for a game and certainly Foster stepped up in the plan Greg [Olson] put together," Interim Head Coach Rich Bisaccia said Friday. "And we lost Darren in the second quarter last week and you saw we were still productive as the game went on. Greg made some real good adjustments as well – personnel wise – in the things that we did. So again, we're prepared to do that if we have to this week."
2. Jack is back
Washington Football Team's Jack Del Rio will be coaching his first game against the team that he previously helmed.
Del Rio, now WFT's defensive coordinator, was the Raiders head coach from 2015-17, where he compiled a 25-23 record and coached the team to their most recent playoff appearance. Despite the history between the Raiders and Del Rio, Bisaccia and Del Rio have a great respect for one another going into Sunday's game.
"Coach Del Rio, I have a tremendous amount of respect for him," Bisaccia said Wednesday. "He was the coach of the year here obviously and took the team to the playoffs. And I played against him when I was in Tampa and he was in Jacksonville."
"I've always enjoyed competing against them when I'm there," Del Rio told NBC Washington. "And I enjoyed the time when I was the head coach and thought we had a good solid run while I was there, but it's unique. I think the fans there are tremendous and this will be a great experience for our guys to go into that atmosphere."
3. Pure magic
When you put Raiders and Washington in the same sentence, the first person many people will think of is Marcus Allen.
The Hall of Fame running back was in rare form on January 22, 1984, in Tampa, Florida on the way to a Lombardi Trophy. His 74-yard touchdown run has been replayed countless times and still holds weight as one of the greatest plays in Super Bowl history. Allen finished Super Bowl XVIII with 20 carries, 191 yards and two touchdowns in the Raiders' 38-9 victory over Washington.
"To make a run like that, in a game like that, at a time like that was just pure magic," Allen has said previously. "It was beautiful."
Since their Super Bowl matchup, the Raiders have gone 4-5 against the Washington Football Team.
4. Dealing with 'Scary Terry'
Outside of WFT's running back Antonio Gibson, the biggest factor the Raiders defense needs to pay attention to is Terry McLaurin.
The outside receiver has wreaked havoc since being drafted out of Ohio State in 2019, and is developing into a rising star receiver in the NFL. McLaurin led his team in receiving yards his first two seasons with the team, and has kept up the pace this year. He leads Washington in receiving yards (786), catches (58), and receiving touchdowns (five) through Week 12 of 2021. Bisaccia has been mesmerized with the third-year receiver since he coached him in Mobile, Alabama, at the 2019 Senior Bowl.
"We had [Terry] McLaurin in the Senior Bowl and we all fell in love with him," said Bisaccia. "His attitude, his effort, his ability to make big plays. He was a great special teams player coming out. He's really playing well for them as well."
5. D-Jax knows the assignment
DeSean Jackson has had some of his best NFL games with and against the Washington Football Team.
The Raiders veteran receiver played three seasons in Washington – with over 2,700 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns to his name in that duration. He's previously stated in interviews that his reasoning for signing with Washington was to stay in the NFC East to face the Philadelphia Eagles, who released him in 2014 after his third Pro Bowl selection. And in the 14 games he's played against Washington, he's pulled in 839 receiving yards on 47 catches and seven touchdowns.
"Anytime I'm able to get on the field and play, I just look forward to doing some great things for my team," Jackson said. "Obviously [I] played in that division, knowing how big those games get and obviously playing for that team and then leaving. The way I feel about the teams I leave that I once played for – I always feel like I got to make them pay extra harder because they had to chance to keep me and they didn't. So it's just personal reasons why I go out and play how I play."
Jackson has been listed has questionable (calf), however optimism remains that he'll suit up, especially after practicing in a limited capacity Friday.
6. Another man down for WFT
Washington will be without one of their star defensive players this Sunday.
Three-time Pro Bowler Landon Collins, who is currently second in total tackles (69) for Washington, has been ruled out with a foot injury. Collins is another name to the list of defensive players Washington will be missing this Sunday, with Montez Sweat and Chase Young both on IR. The Raiders could potentially test Collins' backup, Kamren Curl, a good bit down the stretch this game.
