Packers look to hold off the upset-minded Raiders
The Green Bay Packers look to improve on their 5-1 record when they play at Noon Central Time on Sunday vs the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field.
The Packers won their last two games, including last Monday night as they defeated the Detroit Lions 23-22 on a Mason Crosby field goal on the final play. The Raiders are 3-2 and coming off a bye week. Their last game was a 24-21 victory over the Chicago Bears in London.
Derek Carr can be erratic at times, but when he is on his game, he can be brilliant. Their top running back, Josh Jacobs, is a rookie. Their top receiver is tight end Darren Waller. They don’t have many household names on offense, but they are effective. La’Darius Smith and Preston Smith have been racking up the sacks lately. Let’s keep that going. It would also be nice to get some takeaways after having none vs Detroit.
Aaron Rodgers continues to get it done no matter who is out there. Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams might be counted on a lot, especially since they may be very shorthanded at receiver this Sunday. Davante Adams claims that his turf toe injury is a lot better but he will still miss his third game in a row. They went out and signed WR Ryan Grant this week, not to be confused with former Packer RB Ryan Grant. Perhaps someone unexpected will come out and make a huge contribution like Allen Lazard did on Monday night with that touchdown catch.
Darrius Shepherd had a hand in two of the three Packer turnovers on Monday night, but I think they might need him out there on Sunday. Maybe he will make a big play. He has the talent to do that. Special teams are often a factor in close games.
The two teams don’t meet often, but they have played some memorable games, especially Super Bowl II, Vince Lombardi’s final game as the Packers’ head coach. The first Lambeau Leap was performed by LeRoy Butler in 1993 vs the then-Los Angeles Raiders. Brett Favre led the Packers to victory in 1999 in the season opener, winning 28-24 on a touchdown pass to Jeff Thomason with 11 seconds left. Of course, we cannot forget Favre’s memorable performance after his father died, winning 41-7 at Oakland. Overall, the Packers are 8-5 vs the Raiders, winning Super Bowl II before losing 5 straight but winning the last 7.
Jon Gruden signed a 10-year deal with the Raiders before the start of the 2018 season. He made a number of controversial moves in his short time there, especially trading Khalil Mack to the Bears and Amari Cooper to the Cowboys. They even signed Antonio Brown during the offseason and cut him before the regular season started. Despite all of that, Gruden has his team at 3-2 with wins over the Bears and before that, on the road vs the Colts. Last season’s MVP Patrick Mahomes will be sidelined for a while and perhaps for the rest of the season, so there is a decent chance that the Raiders could end up winning their division.
There was a time when the Raiders were perhaps the most hated team in the NFL. The late Al Davis loved doing things his way and he didn’t care who he offended, winning three Super Bowls in the process. It’s been over 35 years since they last won it all however. The Raiders will be moving to Las Vegas within the next few years, perhaps as early as next year.
It’s all about the Packers though and they have found a way to win their last two games despite missing Davante Adams as well as some other key players. The receivers who are out there are more than capable of making big plays. They just need to get open and Rodgers will find someone. It’s important to get their running game going and for the defense to make some big plays. That will open up the passing game.
The Packers are coming off a short week while the Raiders are coming off a bye. This is another one of those classic trap games. The Packers need to be ready from the start on Sunday. I think it will be another competitive game, but I think the Packers will find a way to get it done once again. Wherever you will be on Sunday, let’s be ready to cheer the Packers on to another victory!
Get Loud Lambeau!
Go Pack Go!
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