In the NFL, bad days happen to the best of teams. Time will tell if what happened in Washington D.C. was an aberration or a sign of things to come.

After opening the season with two impressive wins, the Oakland Raiders suffered their first loss of the new season at the hands of a ruthless Washington Redskins team. While there were few bright spots to come out of the 27-10 defeat, there are a number of reasons why Raiders’ fans shouldn’t be reaching for the panic button just yet. That said, Oakland will be well aware that it can’t afford to perform like it did in Washington. The signs weren’t good from the beginning of the night, and the truth of the matter is that Oakland was actually lucky to end the game with 10 points.

All of the Raiders’ points came thanks to mistakes by the Redskins. Aside from those errors, though, Washington was at the top of its game. From the moment Oakland’s Derek Carr (Bakersfield Christian) threw an interception to Montae Nicholson, the writing was on the wall. The Raiders’ quarterback wasn’t looked after all night by his offensive line, while his opposite number Kirk Cousins produced a sensational performance as the hosts began to really run away with the game.

As long as they bounce back from this loss, head coach Jack Del Rio’s men are still in very good shape to achieve their targets this season. With odds of around 7/1 with Betfair to top the AFC, the Raiders could be a decent shout for those looking to make use of the latest free bets. The first defeat of the season had to come at some point, and maybe it’s good it has come so early in the campaign. And, in Cousins, the Redskins have a quarterback who is capable of tearing apart any defense in the league on his best day.

While Oakland will face better teams than Washington this year, the Redskins are definitely good enough to reach the playoffs, and the Raiders will be hoping to join them there. With the Denver Broncos next up for Oakland, coming off its own first loss of the year, the team will have a great chance to bounce right back and beat another team expected to reach the postseason. This disappointing defeat against Washington will soon be forgotten should the Raiders respond with a solid win against the Broncos.

With three home games coming up after their trip to Denver, Oakland will be hoping to head into its round 10 bye week with the future in its own hands. If they are still in contention by then, Raiders fans will be able to get excited with justification about what the rest of the season has in store for them.