The Las Vegas Raiders will visit the Washington Commanders in Week 3 of the NFL season. The Raiders are on the road on a short prep week here and they face a Commanders team that is at home and looking to rebound from its first loss of the season. Here, I take a closer look at this inter-conference matchup from Landover and make my Raiders vs Commanders prediction.
Our Raiders vs Commanders Pick
- Pick: Under 44.5
- Confidence: 3/5
- Get Your Bonus Bets: Use BetMGM promo code ATSBONUS to get up to $1,500 in bonus bets if your first bet doesn’t win!
Game Snapshot
- Matchup: Las Vegas Raiders vs Washington Commanders
- Date & Time: Sunday, September 21, 2025, 1:00 PM ET
- Venue: Northwest Stadium, Landover, MD
- Broadcast: FOX
Key Storylines
- There is a huge rest differential in this game. Washington played on Thursday in Week 2, while Las Vegas plays Monday before a cross-country trip and a 1:00 PM ET kickoff.
- The Commanders suffered their first loss of the season in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers. The Commanders have averaged 19.5 points per game through two weeks and will look to wake their offense up in this game.
- The Commanders lost running back Austin Ekeler for the season with an Achilles injury in their last game. They will attempt to navigate things offensively without Ekeler on the field.
Quarterback Play
Geno Smith looked comfortable right away in silver and black. He completed 24 of 34 passes for 362 yards with one touchdown and one interception in Foxborough in Week 1. He got off to a nice start finding tight end Brock Bowers and that quarterback/tight end tandem looks like it will be a tough one for opposing defenses to stop this year.
Jayden Daniels enters this game with three passing touchdowns and no picks in two starts. Washington’s offensive line issues were apparent in Week 2 at Lambeau. But the extra prep time should help them develop a protection plan that is more effective this week.
Betting Trends & H2H
- Washington is 1-1 against the spread going into Week 3.
- Las Vegas covered the spread in their Week 1 win over the Patriots.
- The Commanders went under the total in each of their first two games to open the season.
Raiders vs Commanders Model Projection
Score Projection: Raiders 19 – Commanders 24
Win Probability: Raiders 34%, Commanders 66%
Final Thoughts
The Commanders come into this game with a rest advantage of around a half a week. That should be significant to the outcome of this game. But the offense of the Commanders needs to improve if Washington is going to avoid a second straight loss here.
Instead of taking either side to cover the spread, my best bet for this game is for the under to cash. Both teams have been solid defensively to begin the season and some sophomore year regression from Jayden Daniels has kept Commanders totals low in the early going. Look for this game to follow a similar pattern, no matter who comes out on top.
