See more of our coverage in your search results.
A lot has been made this season about the Raiders’ improvement on offense. That has been directly tied to Kirk Cousins’ surprising high level of play. But the offense as a whole has been very unbalanced.
The Raiders’ search for a consistent running game will continue Sunday without Mike Washington Jr.
The rookie running back is questionable for Sunday’s game against the Rams because of foot and back injuries, leaving the Raiders potentially with one fewer option as they try to snap a three-game losing streak.
For an offense that has struggled to establish dependable production on the ground, Washington’s absence would further complicate an already pressing problem.
The Raiders need more from their running game. They may have to find it with fewer available pieces.
Ashton Jeanty remains the centerpiece of the backfield, but the Raiders have struggled to consistently create the space necessary to get him going. Washington’s absence takes away an option to spell Jeanty and share the physical demands of a game the Raiders need to win.
At 3-3, the Raiders face a 2-4 Rams team dealing with its own disappointing start. Both teams are trying to prevent their seasons from slipping further off course.
For the Raiders, establishing a more reliable ground attack would help address several of the problems that have contributed to their losing streak.
Too often, modest gains or negative plays have left quarterback Kirk Cousins facing difficult passing situations. And when the field has shortened near the goal line, the Raiders have struggled to turn scoring opportunities into touchdowns.
Those shortcomings were costly in last Sunday’s 33-30 loss to the Bills.
The Raiders scored touchdowns on only two of their five red-zone possessions. On one particularly frustrating sequence, they reached Buffalo’s 2-yard line but failed to punch the ball into the end zone, settling for a field goal.
In a game decided by three points, those missed opportunities loomed large.
Washington’s absence does not change the need to improve the blocking and execution that have undermined the running game. It does, however, reduce the options available to coach Klint Kubiak as he searches for solutions.
Kubiak changed the offensive line against Buffalo, inserting Caleb Rogers at right guard in place of Jackson Powers-Johnson. The move reflected the urgency to find a combination capable of generating more consistent movement up front.
That urgency remains against the Rams.
Losing Washington would make that task more difficult, but the stakes remain unchanged.
The Raiders have shown they can compete with good teams. Their narrow losses to the Chiefs and Bills offered evidence of that.
Sunday presents another chance to turn competitiveness into a victory.