Week 13 Reality Checks: Washington at Las Vegas

1. The Reality Is, matchups are key.

Perhaps more so than in any other game so far this season for the WFT, this game is going to come down to individual battles and matchups. So let’s take a look a few key ones ahead of this game:

• Terry McLaurin vs. Casey Hayward, Jr. is a classic matchup of a true number 1 receiver versus a true lockdown corner. McLaurin will need to have one of his best games of the season to put up stats against Hayward.
• Cornelius Lucas vs. Maxx Crosby is a SCARY matchup for Washington. As solid as Lucas has been for the most part in his 1.5 seasons with Washington, he is not a dominant pass-blocker, and has struggled against top-tier pass-rushers. Crosby is having a pro-bowl season on the left side of the Raiders’ line. If Lucas is able to limit Crosby’s impact, it will go a long way toward a Washington win.
• Waller vs. Collins/Curl/Holcomb may end up not being a factor if Waller isn’t cleared to play coming off the knee injury he suffered on Thanksgiving, but Washington has historically been TORCHED by this type of pass-catching tight end, and these three will need to play extremely sound in coverage if Waller ends up playing.
• Jon Allen vs. the interior of the Raiders’ offensive line will be a matchup Washington must win handily. Among the league’s worst units, Las Vegas has struggled to protect Derek Carr and open up holes in the run game. If Jon Allen and his interior line mates don’t dominate Las Vegas’ offensive line, it may be a long day for the Burgundy and Gold.
• Brian Johnson vs. the Washington offensive line is an unexpected matchup to highlight, but given how much trouble the last two Washington kickers had with getting kicks blocked, I’ll be watching with much interest whether Johnson will managed to kick high enough to get kicks over his offensive line and if the line will block well enough to let him get kicks off.
• Lastly, DJax vs. the secondary is the most nerve-wracking matchup of the week. DeSean Jackson has terrorized Washington’s secondary over the years, and somehow, this secondary manages to blow one or two coverages in mind-numbing fashion every week. Blow a coverage against Jackson, and he’s in the end zone.

This is a winnable game for Washington. It’s a tough game on a short week with a long flight. It’s a tough game against a team with a lot of confidence coming off extra rest. But it’s the kind of game that playoff teams win. Is Washington a playoff team? We’ll find out soon enough, but a win in Vegas will have them at .500 with five games to play, in control of their own destiny and riding a 4-game winning streak.

There’s something about the way this team is communicating and playing right now that has me believing they can pull off this win. I always get nervous predicting a win, but I do think they come up with enough plays to outscore Vegas in a close game. Washington wins 29-24 with Brian Johnson hitting a short field goal to seal it late.