Report Card: Grades From Packers’ 17-13 Loss to Raiders

The defense and special teams did their parts. Another terrible performance by the offense, however, doomed the Packers in their Monday night loss at the Raiders.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Games like Monday night’s against the Las Vegas Raiders used to be a sure thing for the Green Bay Packers. Primetime against a bad opponent in front of a pro-Packers crowd? Just chalk up a win and get on with the next week.

Nothing is easy for these Packers, who fell to 2-3 with a 17-13 loss. The passing game is terrible. The running game is ineffective. Big plays in key moments are as elusive as the winning Powerball numbers.

Here’s this week’s report card.

Passing Offense

The Raiders’ defense entered the night ranked 29th in opponent passer rating and was down two of its starting corners. Yet Jordan Love, who through two games had the best passer rating in the NFL, had zero touchdowns, three interceptions and a feeble rating of 32.2. He completed 16-of-30 passes, that 53.3 percent doing nothing to help his league-worst completion percentage.

Quarterbacks with zero touchdowns and three-plus interceptions are 1-49 since the start of the 2017 season.

There is nothing good about the passing game. Maxx Crosby made mincemeat of Green Bay’s front. In years past, that almost never happened because Mike McCarthy, Matt LaFleur or Aaron Rodgers seemingly always had the answers.

Other than a blown coverage that allowed Christian Watson to get loose for a 77-yard gain, there’s almost never anyone truly open. On the game-losing drive, Romeo Doubs and Luke Musgrave had drops, and Love underthrew Watson on the fateful final interception.

Aside from Watson’s big gainer, the receivers combined for five receptions out of 13 targets for 35 yards. Of the eight non-completions, three were intercepted. Of the others, a well-thrown bomb slipped through Watson’s outstretched fingers.

“I think my number was called way too many times tonight for the amount of plays I made. I’ve got to make some more plays,” Watson said.

Grade: F.

Packers WR Christian Watson caught 3-of-7 passes vs. the Raiders :: Photo by Stephen R. Sylvanie/USA Today Sports Images

Rushing Offense

AJ Dillon looked a bit like the AJ Dillon who thrived in a featured role in 2021. He carried 20 times for 76 yards and the team’s only touchdown. On that scoring drive, he broke three tackles. He had broken three tackles in four games.

Still, without Aaron Jones, the running attack is running on fumes. Take away Love’s 26-yard scoring drive on the first scoring drive and inconsequential 11-yard run that ended the first half, Green Bay’s running game manufactured 73 yards on 23 carries.

Following the big gain to Watson, the Packers had first-and-goal at the 3. Dillon lost 2 yards on first down (it looked like he got to the 4 but was marked at the 5) and 1 yard on second down (it looked like he got to the 3 but was marked down at the 4). It’s not as if the Packers were playing the 1986 Bears.

Grade: D.

Passing Defense

OK, so defensive coordinator Joe Barry called a defense that left Preston Smith matched against Davante Adams. Adams turned that into 21 yards.

Otherwise, it was a strong night for Barry’s unit. Jimmy Garoppolo completed 22-of-31 passes (71 percent) for 208 yards with one touchdown, one interception and an 86.5 rating. The 21-yarder to Adams was the longest play of the night.

The All-Pro receiver, arguably the best in the business, was held to four receptions for 45 yards. Adams mostly lined up to the opposite side of Jaire Alexander but didn’t get much accomplished.

“I think we did a pretty solid job on Tae,” Alexander said. “Our objective was to not allow him to get any explosives or touchdowns and we did that.”

Rasul Douglas had two big-time breakups and sniffed out an early trick play. It was a big bounce-back game after a down performance against Detroit. Safety Rudy Ford gave up the touchdown but also had an interception.

Green Bay delivered three sacks, including a huge one by Rashan Gary midway through the fourth quarter that gave the Packers hope for a comeback.

Grade: B.

Rushing Defense

Kingsley Enagbare stops Josh Jacobs :: Photo by Kirby Lee/USA Today Sports Images

Raiders running back Josh Jacobs led the NFL in rushing last season but was last in the league in yards per rushing attempt this season. Green Bay’s run defense has been consistently among the worst in the NFL the past four years.

So, who would win this matchup pitting a 100-pound weakling vs. a plate of brittle glass? Mostly, Green Bay.

The Raiders rushed for 96 yards on 29 attempts. An end-around by receiver Tre Tucker accounted for 16. Jacobs had his best day of the season, though that’s like finding the tallest jockey at Churchill Downs. He gained 69 yards on 20 tries. With the Packers absolutely, positively needing a stop, they held two runs to 3 yards.

Grade: B-plus.

Special Teams

Why would special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia put an offensive lineman on the field-goal block? Because Yosh Nijman is 6-foot-7. He tipped a 53-yard field-goal attempt on the final play of the half that kept the Packers within 10-3.

Rookie kicker Anders Carlson made a couple chip-shot field goals and rookie punter Daniel Whelan allowed 6 return yards on four kicks. Bisaccia had Keisean Nixon take touchbacks on kickoffs returns and Nixon almost got around the corner on his only punt return. Guilty of 10 penalties the first four games, there were none on Monday. 

All in all, on an otherwise nondescript night, Green Bay made the one big play.

Grade: B.

Coaching

The Packers scored zero points in the first half against New Orleans in Week 3 and three points in the first half against Detroit in Week 4. With four bonus days to get ready for the Raiders, surely LaFleur and the coaching staff would find some answers.

Right?

Nah. The Packers scored three points in the first half. They’ve been outscored 69-26 in the first half this season.

At least the full bye is coming up to find those answers. Right?

“I think this week will give us an opportunity to kind of go back and,” LaFleur said, cutting himself off. “You know, I thought we did that over the mini-bye. But, we’ve got to find something to get us going, to jumpstart us.”

Give Barry credit for a winning plan and Bisaccia’s crew at least fought to a standstill. In years past, a good night by the defense and a decent night by the special teams would equate to a 30-point victory. Not with this offense, which has no identity.

It was striking to watch Brock Purdy throwing to a bunch of wide-open receivers as the 49ers trounced Dallas on Sunday night, then watch Love struggling to find any open receivers against the Raiders.

It’s almost as if Rodgers had to carry this franchise on his back.

Love has struggled but there aren’t many easy plays to be made, either. Is it the scheme? The players? Who knows, but an offense that was supposed to be building for the future has made little tangible progress.

Grade: F.

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From Las Vegas, @JacobWestendorf has the Monday Six-Pack of game ball, lame ball, pivot point and more following the #Packers' loss at the Raiders. ⬇️https://t.co/gGmoTNdft4

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 10, 2023

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