Three Key Matchups for Packers to Beat Raiders

After a humiliating home loss to the Detroit Lions, the Las Vegas Raiders should be able to serve as some medicine for the issues that plague the Green Bay Packers.

After spending the last half of September at the friendly confines of Lambeau Field, the Green Bay Packers are hitting the road for the next two games with a bye week sandwiched in between.

A Monday night game at the Las Vegas Raiders is the first trip on their list. 

The Raiders are coming off a 24-17 loss to the Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday. Quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo did not play due to a concussion. Perhaps he is thankful he didn't, since Khalil Mack sacked his backup, rookie Aidan O'Connell, six times. 

In their last game, the Packers were humiliated at home by the Detroit Lions on Thursday.

After another embarrassing performance on defense, Matt LaFleur and Joe Barry have vowed to be better. 

In theory, a game against the Raiders is a matchup that should favor the Packers. However, if there's anything we've learned over the first month of the season, this season is different. The Packers are not good enough to overlook any team. 

That includes the Raiders, whose only victory came in Week 1 against the woeful Broncos.

In a year of transition, just about anyone in Green Bay would have signed up for a winning record through their first five games. 

With that in mind, here are three matchups the Packers have to win to get to 3-2 at the bye.

Jaire Alexander vs. Davante Adams

Monday's game marks a premier matchup between two of the game's best.

It's a matchup the Packers used to see every day in practice. 

A situation that Davante Adams now realizes helped Jaire Alexander turn into one of the league's premier corners. 

"I won’t say I had nothing to do with it, but I didn’t create that monster, but he definitely turned into one,” Adams said to Green Bay reporters on Thursday.

“It’s always good to see a player, especially a highly touted player like that, get drafted in the first round and then realize his potential and live up to it. It’s fun to see and it’s definitely going to be fun to play against him

Alexander has practiced throughout the week and looks like a good bet to play after missing the last two games.

If you ask him, there aren't many more important games on the schedule.

"I wouldn't say it's the Super Bowl or the playoffs, but it's kind of like that." 

Alexander clearly relishes the opportunity to play against the league's best.

There may not be a better receiver in the sport than Adams.

“It’s pretty evident he’s the best in the league,” Alexander said. “I can go on and on, but he’s the best. I’ll leave it at that.”

The Packers, of course, know that better than anyone. Adams was a star during his time in Green Bay. He led the NFL in touchdown receptions and receiving yards per game in 2020, then broke the single-season franchise record for receptions in 2021.

Davante Adams, a Pro Bowler in 2017, got first-round pick Jaire Alexander ready in 2018.

“I didn’t create that monster, but he definitely turned into one,” Adams said.

The #Raiders' Adams and #Packers' Alexander discussed their big MNF matchup today. ⬇️https://t.co/nwqoUu2EyE

— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) October 6, 2023

Despite the quarterback situation in Las Vegas crumbling around him, Adams has not slowed down. 

He caught 100 passes for 1,516 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdowns last year in his debut season with the Raiders. Adams has 33 catches in four games this season and remains one of the league's premier players. 

The Raiders have struggled to protect their quarterback, but if Adams can win quickly, the ball can come out quickly. 

Stopping Adams isn't likely to happen. He's caught at least six passes in every game this season. The goal will be to limit his production. 

The best way to do that is to allow the former teammates to lock horns. 

Packers Run Game vs. Raiders Run Defense

The Packers' run game has been abysmal through four weeks.

Last week, they theoretically were going to get a boost with Aaron Jones returning to the lineup. 

Instead, Jones didn't touch the ball until the second quarter. That's a theme that has become all too familiar since his career began in Green Bay. 

Through four games, Jones and AJ Dillon have 12 runs of 5 yards or more. On the other hand, they have 14 runs in which they've been tackled at or behind the line of scrimmage. 

That's not good enough, and it's officially become a theme.

Following the loss to Detroit, LaFleur lamented his team's inability to run the ball or stop the run. 

“I think any time you go out there and you can’t effectively run the football and conversely can’t stop the run, that’s a recipe for losing football.” LaFleur said. “We knew they were a tough opponent, but they manhandled us, really, in every phase."

With the run game ailing, the Raiders' defense could be just what the doctor ordered. 

The Raiders rank 26th in the NFL against the run, with opposing backs running for 134.3 yards per game. 

While the Packers need to find out what they have in Jordan Love, the way they've been playing offense is not sustainable. 

Even in a pass-happy league, a team has to be able to have some success running the football.

Brandon Staley of the Chargers has been praised as someone on the cutting edge of the new age of thinking. 

He spoke at length in a press conference a season ago about how the run game is still important even with the modern emphasis on the passing game.

"What I think the running game does for a quarterback is it gives you some breathers," Staley said. "There's a physicality to the game that's real. If you're just a passing team, there's a physical element to the game that the defense doesn't have to respect." 

Through four games, the Packers have run the ball 91 times and averaged 3.3 yards per carry.

The Packers' run game has struggled to get going in 2023  :: Photo by Dale Zanine/USA Today Sports Images

If you remove Jordan Love and special plays from that equation, the running backs are averaging 3.0 yards per carry.

The Packers' run game hasn't been good enough, and they need to start having opposing defenses respect the physical part of the game. 

With LaFleur's comments following last week's debacle, look for there to be an emphasis on getting their run game going. 

Packers Run Defense vs. Josh Jacobs

The Raiders are statistically the worst team in the NFL running the ball.

The Packers have notoriously been horrendous defending the run since Brian Gutekunst took over as general manager. With the brain trust of LaFleur and Gutekunst, the Packers are the worst team in the NFL against opposing run games. 

This is a classic case of a stoppable force that meets a very movable object. 

The Packers have vowed to be better. They've talked about being better against the run all offseason. 

To date, nothing has changed.

If there were ever a run game for the Packers to stop, it would be this one. 

Despite Josh Jacobs having a big name, he's not having a good season. He is averaging 2.7 yards per carry. The reigning NFL rushing champion has yet to run for more than 62 yards in a game. 

“It’s insane to do the same things over and over again and expect a different result,” LaFleur said after Thursday's loss to the Lions. 

The guess here is there will be an emphasis on stopping the Raiders' run game. 

If they're able to do that, the Packers should be unable to unleash their pass rush on a Raiders offensive line that struggled to protect their quarterback last week.

Conversely, whether it's Garoppolo or O'Connell under center, the Raiders know the situation with Green Bay's defense.

The Raiders are likely to try and use Green Bay's defense to get their ground game on track. 

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