Interviewing the Enemy: 5 Questions with Just Blog Baby

3 of 3

OAKLAND, CA – SEPTEMBER 17: Khalil Mack #52 of the Oakland Raiders matches up against Brandon Shell #72 of the New York Jets at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum on September 17, 2017 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Ezra Shaw/Getty Images) /

Defensive Questions

RR: How will the Raiders pass rush fare against the Redskins offensive line?

JBB: Oakland will have to get creative with the pass rush. Khalil Mack will get his, but Morgan Moses won’t make it easy for him. Bruce Irvin has struggled out of the gate for the Silver and Black. It might be another tough game for him against Trent Williams. What Oakland needs to get is get penetration on the interior. It might be a breakout game of sorts for rookie defensive tackle Eddie Vanderdoes. He is a first-round talent out of UCLA, but fell to the third round due to injuries.

RR: Is there a weakness in the Raiders secondary that the Redskins may be able to exploit?

JBB: The Raiders’ secondary has improved from the preseason. However, it’s still far from great. If Washington were to exploit the Raiders defensive backfield, I’d suggest going after the corners.

T.J. Carrie and Sean Smith have played well this season. However, Carrie can get beaten by bigger receivers in the slot. Smith looked good against the Titans in Week 1, but missed Week 2’s game against the Jets with a neck injury. Rookie Gareon Conley did fine in his debut last week. The most vulnerable spot in the Raiders secondary has been David Amerson. He had a concussion in the preseason and hasn’t seemed to have fully bounced back from that.

Thanks again to John for taking time to answer our questions! And make sure to check out all the great content over at Just Blog Baby.

Home/Commanders News