Tag: Alfred Morris

By. Joe Hawkes-Beamon

OAKLAND — Oakland Raiders starting quarterback Terrelle Pryor has been medically cleared for full contact, but it’s still uncertain if Pryor or backup Matt Flynn will be under center when the Silver and Black take the field against the down-trodden Washington Redskins Sunday at O.co Coliseum.

According to CSNCalifornia.com Raiders’ insider Scott Bair, Oakland will not announce a starter before Sunday’s game, partially for competitive reasons.

This is the first meeting between the two teams since 2009.

Pryor, who sustained a concussion after taking a helmet-to-chin hit from Broncos linebacker Wesley Woodyard Monday night during Oakland’s 37-21 loss in Denver, was listed as questionable on the team’s injury report, but saw an increased workload after participating in practice Thursday and Friday.

Against the aggressive Denver defense, Pryor had a career-best quarterback rating of 112.4, completing 19 of 28 passes for 281 yards and, including a 73-yard touchdown catch and run by speedster Denarius Moore.

Whichever quarterback starts for Oakland (1-2), the game plan should feature a heavy dose of running back Darren McFadden. Washington is surrendering a league-worst 155 yards per game on the ground and has given up at least 130 yards rushing in two of their three losses on the season.

McFadden arguably had his worst game of his career Monday night, rushing for just 9 yards on 12 carries (0.8 yards per attempt). McFadden did have two touchdowns, one on a 1-yard run and the other, a 16-yard pass to fullback Marcel Reese, but he should be the Raiders’ workhorse come Sunday.

Washington (0-3) is off to a rough start to the season, to say the least.

Starting quarterback Robert Griffin III is coming off a third-straight 300-yard passing game, but Washington couldn’t overcome two critical fumbles in the fourth quarter and dropped a backbreaker to the Detroit Lions, 27-20 at home.

Running back Alfred Morris finished with 15 carries for 73 yards and  a touchdown.

The game is expected to be a sell out and will be seen locally on FOX/KTVU Ch. 2 at 1:25 p.m. PDT.

Players to Watch for Washington:

• No. 10) Robert Griffin III (QB) – After not playing a single second during the preseason while recovering from offseason knee surgery to repair his ACL, Griffin is still shaking off the rust but appears to be playing better. The second-year quarter from Baylor is sixth in the league among quarterbacks with five touchdown passes.
• No. 46) Alfred Morris (RB) – Outside of Griffin, Morris is Washington’s next best offensive weapon. Morris finished second to Adrian Peterson in  both rushing yards (1,613), touchdowns (13), and third in rushes (335) in 2012. Morris has rushed for 225 yards and two touchdowns on 40 carries so far in 2013.
• No. 91) Ryan Kerrigan (OLB) – Kerrigan, along with teammate Perry Riley, Washington has significant punch in the pass rushing department and Oakland has a leaky offensive line. Kerrigan leads Washington with three sacks this season and five quarterback pressures, while Riley leads Washington in tackles with 29.

Players to Watch for Oakland:

• No. 17) Denarius Moore (WR) – Sure I said that Oakland needs to feed the ball to McFadden earlier, but Moore is starting to be the dependable wide receiver that Oakland is drastically looking for. Moore had six receptions of 124 receiving yards and a touchdown Monday night. Look for Washington’s veteran cornerback DeAngelo Hall to shadow Moore.
• No. 94) Kevin Burnett (MLB) – Burnett was very active in Denver, finishing with a game-high 10 tackles. Burnett will have his hands full keeping an eye on Morris.
• No. 79) Tony Pashos (OT) – The veteran Pashos will draw the assignment of trying to block Kerrigan one-on-one. If Pashos is able to prevent Kerrigan from having a big day, Oakland has a great chance of keeping its quarterback upright.

Over/Under (for entertainment purposes only) 42 – Washington (-3) vs. Oakland according to vegasinsider.com