The Green Bay Packers (2-2) will take on the Las Vegas Raiders (1-3) at Allegiant Stadium on Monday night. Both teams are looking to bounce back from losses to division rivals. The final game of Week 5 is also a rematch of Super Bowl II and will mark just the sixth time the two teams have faced off since 2000.
To help preview the primetime showdown, Packers Wire asked five questions of Marcus Mosher, the managing editor at Raiders.
Buy Packers TicketsHere is the Q&A:
The Packers win when they can pressure the QB consistently. How have the Raiders been protecting the passer this season?
Mosher: They were fantastic in the first two games of the year. Jimmy Garoppolo was upright and both tackles were playing out of their minds. But against the Steelers and Chargers, they’ve allowed 11 sacks. Now, not all of those are the fault of the offensive line. The quarterbacks have not done a good job moving in the pocket. But this is a talented offensive line that can play erratically depending on the opponent.
Jaire Alexander vs. Davante Adams could be an elite matchup. How do the Raiders use Adams? Does he move all over the place?
Mosher: The Raiders will move Adams around, but he’ll primarily play on the left side of the formation. He is still one of the best outside receivers and nearly impossible to cover one-on-one. I don’t expect the Raiders to run away from a Adams-Alexander matchup. In fact, I’ll guess that they’ll embrace it as it should allow for Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow to have favorable matchups opposite him.
The Raiders have thrown an NFL-high 7 interceptions. Any root cause of the turnovers?
Mosher: Yeah. Their quarterbacks aren’t very good. When Garoppolo and Aidan O’Connell have been pressured, they tend to make very poor decisions. Neither player is capable of getting out of the pocket and avoiding pressure, so they tend to throw a lot of risky passes when defenders are around them.
Davante Adams and Maxx Crosby are the stars, but who else on the Raiders roster can change the game?
Mosher: I know it’s strange to mention special teams, but the Raiders have one of the best kicking units in the league. Daniel Carlson has made 111 of his last 119 kicks (93.3%) and he has a monster leg. Anytime the Raiders cross the 45-yard line of their opponents, they are in range of Carlson. In a game that could be fairly low-scoring, having a weapon like Carlson is a big deal.
A.J. Cole is also one of the best punters in the league as he averaged 49 yards per kick last season. He was an All-Pro selection in 2021 and made the Pro Bowl last year. The special teams unit for the Raiders has won them a bunch of games in the past and could be a big X-factor on Monday.
The Raiders win if…? The Packers win if…?
Mosher: The Raiders can win this game if they don’t turn the ball over. Their personnel on offense does match up well with Green Bay as the Raiders should be able to have success on the ground. It’s going to be a struggle for the Raiders to get a lot of stops on defense, but it wouldn’t be a surprise if the Raiders had a lot of long drives that chews up clock on Monday.
The Packers will win this game if they can create consistent pressure on Garoppolo. He is just a much different quarterback with any type of heat around him. But if he’s kept clean, the Raiders will have a chance to steal this game at home in primetime.
Packers Wire’s answers with Raiders Wire can be found below:
Behind Enemy Lines with Packers Wire ahead of Week 5 (usatoday.com)
