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Raiders hype train derailed by Sunday night embarrassment

Brad Mills / USA TODAY Sports

Prior to Sunday's game against the Washington Redskins, the Oakland Raiders were being trumpeted as the team du jour, and how could they not be?

Marshawn Lynch getting hyphy on the sideline during a Week 2 victory over the New York Jets made national headlines, with many fans taking solace in his unbridled joy. Derek Carr engineered an offense that averaged 35.5 points per game, while Khalil Mack appeared poised to win his second consecutive Defensive Player of the Year Award.

The Raiders were quickly becoming everyone's second-favorite team, until Sunday night provided a maxim of pro football to be true: in a finite 16-game schedule, anyone is fallible.

Make no mistake about it, the Raiders, dripping in charisma, were absolutely embarrassed on the national stage during a 27-10 loss to the Redskins, a score that doesn't accurately reflect the gulf in performances. Although the Raiders ought to be considered a bona fide playoff team, it's worth scaling back the hype with a daunting upcoming schedule.

Sunday's galling showing starts with Carr. The fourth-year pro was dreadful, going 19-of-31 for 118 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions, both of which were inexcusable mistakes. It's a one-off, and while the Raiders' absurd amount of hype was fostered after two games, Carr's poor performance should be forgotten about. Take it for what it's worth, but Carr shouldn't be roasted for the worst performance of his career, nor should he readily be anointed the next great quarterback if he recovers in Week 4.

The Raiders' running game was stunted by both a lack of execution from Lynch and poorly designed play-calling from offensive coordinator Todd Downing. A lack of innovation hasn't been true of the Raiders during the past two seasons, but it's worth keeping an eye on as the team squares off against a star-studded Denver Broncos defense in Week 4, who are also coming off a brutal loss to the lowly Buffalo Bills.

No one can legitimately argue that the Raiders won't be a Super Bowl contender based off one game; no one should've billed the Raiders as a gargantuan, larger-than-life avatar superhero capable of transcending the sporting and political landscape, either. The Raiders are still a young, immensely talented team and their youth was on full display Sunday night. They will get better but perhaps we shouldn't be so quick to crown them the NFL's next superteam.

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