3 matchups to watch that will ultimately decide if the Commanders can get a bounce-back win against the Raiders
These matchups will decide who wins the game on Sunday.
The Washington Commanders need a win to raise morale after a tough Week 2 loss that’s left a bad taste in our mouths for a while now. It won’t be easy, and the Commanders can’t sleep on the Las Vegas Raiders, who are looking to bounce back from their own loss.
There’s always the matchups within the matchup that will help decide who wins the game, and for me, it comes down to three key matchups that will sway who wins on Sunday.
Josh Conerly Jr. vs Maxx Crosby
It’s been a rough go for the first-round rookie, but it’s been as tough a schedule to start your career against Abdul Carter, Micah Parsons, and now Maxx Crosby. Josh Conerly Jr. has allowed four sacks so far this season, which is tied for the most among all tackles. He’s also allowed 11 pressures, and a majority of those came against Parsons, but Crosby is coming to town now, and he’s just as good at rushing the quarterback.
Crosby might only have one sack, but don’t let the numbers fool you; he still has eight pressures and has the seventh-best run-stopping grade among all edge rushes. He can do it all and makes an impact on every play, whether it’s in the passing game or breaking up a handoff on a run to cause a fumble. The Commanders might have to play Andrew Wylie some if things get ugly for Conerly Jr.
Marshon Lattimore vs Jakobi Meyers
Marshon Lattimore started the season hot against Malik Nabers, and only allowed one catch for 11 yards on four targets, but last week was a different story. The Green Bay Packers started to target Lattimore, and he couldn’t keep up with the motion and mesh routes. Jordan Love targeted Lattimore six times, and he allowed five catches for 84 yards and 16.4 yards per catch. That’s not including the penalties adding up for Lattimore.
Now he has Jakobi Meyers, who is off to a hot start as the top WR target for the Raiders. When in doubt, Geno Smith looks his way. Meyers is sixth in the league in targets with 21, sixth in catches with 14, and ninth in receiving yards with 165. The Raiders will target Meyers early and often and try to get the matchup on Lattimore every single time.
Bill Croskey-Merritt vs the Raiders’ run defense
Kliff Kingsbury has to commit to the run game, even with Austin Ekeler out for the season. It won’t come easy, though, because the Raiders have a top-3 overall run defense in the league. They rank first in EPA per rush, third in stuffed run percentage, and fifth in yards allowed before contact. The Commanders have a Bill Croskey-Merritt, though, and despite having much fewer carries than a lot of other rookie running backs, he still leads them all in rushing yards with 99.
The Raiders can’t run the ball one bit, and this is an opportunity for the Commanders to establish a run game and really dictate the tone and pace of the game from start to finish. Croskey-Merritt having four carries last week is rough to look back at, and there’s no reason he can’t have close to 10 a game moving forward.
If the Commanders can take advantage of at least two of these three matchups, they have a good chance to make a statement and get a bounce-back win at home regardless of who plays quarterback on Sunday. If not, it will be a long week in the fan base and national media once again.
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