Las Vegas Raiders wide receiver Jakobi Meyers (16) gets past Green Bay Packers safety Rudy Ford (20) to score a touchdown during the first half of an NFL game at Allegiant Stadium Monday, Oct. 9, 2023.
Published Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 | 2 a.m.
Updated Monday, Oct. 9, 2023 | 8:16 p.m.
WEEK 5
• Who: Packers (2-2) at Raiders (1-3)
• When: 5:15 p.m.
• Where: Allegiant Stadium
• TV: ABC/ESPN
• Radio: Raider Nation Radio 920 AM, KOMP 92.3 FM
• Betting line: Raiders -1, over/under: 44.5
They had to sweat it down to the final seconds — including another controversial, conservative coaching decision by Josh McDaniels — but the Raiders prevailed on Monday Night Football, 17-13, thanks to Amik Robertson's end-zone interception.
Las Vegas had a chance to put the game on ice on its final offensive possession, facing a 4th-and-1 at the 34-yard line, but Josh McDaniels opted for a long field-goal attempt. Daniel Carlson hit the upright with 1:54 remaining, giving Green Bay one more chance at a game-winning drive.
Jordan Love took the Packers across midfield, and on a third-down play he scrambled left out of the pocket and lofted a deep pass toward Christian Watson in the end zone. Robertson elevated and high-pointed the ball over Watson's outstretched hands, hauling in the interception to clinch the victory.
Las Vegas improves to 2-3 on the season, with a good opportunity to get to .500 next week when the New England Patriots visit Allegiant Stadium.
Robertson's interception also took McDaniels off the hook after the coach's late-game decisions were criticized in losses to Pittsburgh and the Los Angeles Chargers the last two weeks.
Jimmy Garoppolo was serviceable in his return to action after missing last week with a concussion; the veteran passer completed 22-of-31 for 208 yards, with one touchdown and an interception. Josh Jacobs logged 20 carries for 69 yards and a touchdown.
Linebacker Robert Spillane was the defensive star of the night, nabbing a pair of interceptions. Maxx Crosby finished with four tackles for loss and a sack.
Raiders looking to seal MNF win over Green Bay
The Raiders will have a chance to ice this game on a 4th-and-1 after we come back from the 2-minute warning.
Las Vegas still has a 17-13 lead, and they've moved the ball to the Green Bay 34-yard line with 2:00 remaining. Will Josh McDaniels get aggressive and go for it, knowing that a first down would all but clinch the win? Or will he settle for a 51-yard field-goal attempt by Daniel Carlson, who had a long kick blocked earlier in the game?
The Raiders lined up to go for it before the warning, but McDaniels will have a couple minutes to think it over. This decision could decide the game.
Josh Jacobs touchdown gives Raiders fourth-quarter lead on MNF
Josh Jacobs just pounded his way into the end zone for a 2-yard touchdown run to give the Raiders a 17-13 lead with 14:56 remaining in the fourth quarter.
The Las Vegas offense responded after Green Bay took the lead, with Jacobs and Jimmy Garoppolo leading a 10-play, 75-yard scoring drive. Jacobs got it started with a 24-yard run, and Garoppolo hit Jakobi Meyers on a key third down to extend the drive.
After a screen pass to Davante Adams gave the Raiders a first down at the 2-yard line, Jacobs took a handoff and bruised his way through the left side of the line and now the Raiders are up again. Can the defense make it hold up?
Green Bay surges ahead of Raiders, 13-10
The Raiders missed an opportunity at the end of the first half, and Green Bay has pounced, scoring 10 unanswered points to start the third quarter, giving the visitors a sudden 13-10 lead.
Las Vegas received the ball to open the half, but their first drive ended when Jimmy Garoppolo was intercepted on an ill-advised pass attempt from outside the pocket. Given a short field, Green Bay needed just seven plays to go 32 yards before A.J. Dillon capped it with a 5-yard touchdown run.
The Raiders' ensuing drive ended when Garoppolo and tight end Michael Mayer were unable to connect on a wide-open pass down the right sideline, forcing Las Vegas to punt. Jordan Love hit Christian Watson on a 77-yard bomb, setting up the field goal that put the Packers ahead.
With five minutes left in the third quarter, the entire complexion of this game has changed.
Carlson misses, Raiders lead at half on MNF
The Raiders had a chance to extend their lead just before the end of the half, but Daniel Carlson's last-second field goal attempt was deflected wide left, leaving Las Vegas with a 10-3 advantage at the break.
Jimmy Garoppolo completed consecutive passes to Jakobi Meyers and Hunter Renfrow for 16 and seven yards, respectively, before spiking the ball at the 35-yard line with 12 seconds on the clock. After an incomplete pass, Carlson came out to attempt a 53-yarder.
Green Bay lineman Yosh Nijman got a good push in the middle and got a finger on the ball, however, causing it to veer off course.
The Las Vegas defense has done its job through two quarters, limiting the Packers to 56 passing yards and 56 rushing yards, and Robert Spillane delivered the night's only takeaway so far with his interception of Jordan Love late in the half.
Garoppolo has been sharp, hitting 12-of-17 passes for 126 yards and a touchdown. Meyers has been his favorite target, with four catches for 43 yards.
The Raiders will receive the kickoff to open the second half, giving them another chance to pad their lead.
Raiders take lead on Garoppolo touchdown pass
Josh McDaniels has gotten aggressive, and the result was a touchdown pass from Jimmy Garoppolo to Jakobi Meyers to give Las Vegas a 7-3 lead with 4:09 remaining in the half.
The Raiders went 62 yards on 14 plays, including a pair of 4th-and-short conversions. The first was picked up via quarterback sneak, and the second, which resulted in a goal-to-go situation, was converted by DeAndre Carter on an end-around handoff.
On 2nd-and-goal, Garoppolo found Meyers on a slant over the middle and delivered a strike, allowing Meyers to reach across the goal line for the score. Garoppolo is now 8-of-9 for 85 yards with the one touchdown.
The drive took 8:28 off the clock, and the Raiders got the ball right back after Robert Spillane picked off Jordan Love on the second play of Green Bay's ensuing drive. Spillane returned the interception inside the 10, giving the Raiders another goal-line series, but the offense was unable to convert, settling for a Daniel Carlson field goal to extend the lead to 10-3.
Green Bay takes early lead over Raiders
The Packers are on the board first, to the delight of the large Green Bay contingent inside Allegiant Stadium. An Anders Carlson field goal has the visitors up, 3-0, with 2:38 left in the first quarter.
The two teams traded punts on the first two possessions before Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love made the game's first big play, breaking off a 26-yard run to get the Packers across midfield. A 19-yard completion to Josiah Deguara moved the ball into the red zone before the Las Vegas defense stiffened and forced an incompletion on third down. Carlson knocked through a 37-yard kick to open the scoring.
Jimmy Garoppolo has been sharp in his return from the concussion that kept him out of last week's game, as he is 4-of-4 passing for 55 yards. A third-down sack ended the Raiders' opening possession.
Davante Adams in for Raiders; Aaron Jones out for Packers
Score it a win for the Raiders on the injury front.
The Raiders will have their best player who was listed as questionable going into Monday Night Football against the Green Bay Packers tonight at Allegiant Stadium. Wide receiver Davante Adams will play despite only logging one limited practice all week with a shoulder injury that took him out of a portion of last week’s loss against the Chargers.
The Packers can’t say the same about their offensive Pro Bowler battling an injury. Running back Aaron Jones will miss his third game of the season with a strained hamstring.
A.J. Dillon is expected to fill the role as the Packers’ featured back.
Adams wasn’t the only piece of good news involving a Raiders’ captain as strong safety Marcus Epps, who was listed as questionable after tweaking his knee Saturday, is also active. Rookie cornerback Jakorian Bennett, however, will miss his first career game with hamstring and shoulder injuries after having started the Raiders’ first four contests.
Cornerback David Long, who was also questionable with an ankle injury, is active and expected to help fill in for Bennett.
But all eyes will be on Adams, who’s going up against his former team for the first time. Based on comments this week, the Packers — and especially star cornerback Jaire Alexander — are looking more forward to the matchup than Adams.
Adams put up 172 receiving yards on 13 catches in his first game at Allegiant Stadium this season, a loss to the Steelers in Week 2, and will be looking to make just as big of an impact tonight. He won’t be at full strength with the shoulder injury, but he’ll be on the field.
Pregame: Raiders' backs against the wall in second home game of season
The Raiders could really use a win. And while that pressure is surely weighing on every team in the NFL with a .500 record or worse through roughly the first quarter of the season, it feels more suffocating on the Raiders right now.
Las Vegas has lost three in a row, and negativity seems to engulf every discussion about the franchise, at least externally.
Fans are turning on coach Josh McDaniels, who’s now 7-14 since taking over in Las Vegas last season, and his own star players airing their frustrations after games aren’t doing him any favors. Wide receiver Davante Adams expressed impatience after a 23-18 loss to Pittsburgh in the Raiders’ Week 3 home opener. Running back Josh Jacobs didn’t hold back any of his anger after a 24-17 loss at the Los Angeles Chargers last week. Neither Adams nor Jacobs meant their words as criticisms of their coach but some have interpreted them as a sign of dysfunction within the organization.
Put simply, the vibe needs to change and the most effective cure is a victory.
Favorable matchup: Jimmy Garoppolo’s history vs. Packers defense
The Raiders’ quarterback will return to the starting lineup after missing the Chargers’ game while in concussion protocol. The Packers would surely rather not be facing him again, as he helped hand the team two of their most crushing losses in recent memory over the last four years. While with the 49ers, Garoppolo beat the Packers both in the 2019-2020 season NFC Championship Game and in the 2021-2022 season divisional round. He’s 3-1 lifetime against the Packers and averaging 8.3 yards per pass attempt in the matchups. There’s not much statistical evidence or stylistic quirks to explain why Green Bay has struggled so much against Garoppolo when it’s otherwise been one of the NFL’s top franchises over the last half-decade. Detractors would say the losses are more of a credit to 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan’s offensive scheme than Garoppolo’s particular execution of it. But that’s a perception Garoppolo is battling in general with his new team, and one he might be losing so far with a shaky start to the season that’s seen him tied for the league lead with six interceptions.
THEY SAID IT
“I’m tired of (expletive) losing. I feel like every day I go in there and I work my (expletive) off so eventually something has to give.” -Jacobs on his feelings after the loss to the Chargers
•••
“I don’t think we lack urgency. It’s not like we need a ‘Win One for the Gipper’ speech out there in the middle of the game. I know the play might not have necessarily reflected the effort we’re trying to play with in terms of our overall production … but I don’t question our team’s desire, fight or effort ever.” -McDaniels on the Raiders’ issues in the middle of games where they’ve fallen into double-digit holes in back-to-back weeks
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“Unlike the other No. 4 (Derek Carr) that used to be there, (the new No. 4 Aidan O’Connell) held it a little bit today and we were able to get it.” -Mack on his historic day against the Raiders, which he implies was motivated by his former team moving on from both him and close friend Carr in the last five years
•••
“I’ve asked (current Packers special teams coordinator/former Raiders coach) Rich (Bisaccia) a million times about (Maxx Crosby) and he just says, ‘He’s different,’ in a positive way obviously. He’s just relentless. I don’t know any other way to describe it. I haven’t seen too many guys that can compete at that high of a level for that amount of time.” -Packers coach Matt LaFleur on the challenge Crosby presents.
Problematic matchup: Packers edge rusher Rashan Gary vs. Raiders’ offensive line
Chargers edge rusher Khalil Mack became the fifth player in NFL history with six sacks in a game against the Raiders last week. Two weeks ago, Steelers counterpart T.J. Watt similarly wrecked the Raiders with two sacks, three quarterback hits and two tackles for loss. Now Las Vegas has to face another one of the best defensive-line disruptors in the NFL. The 25-year-old Gary, a former first round pick out of Michigan, might not be as big of a name as the aforementioned two but he’s been even better this season by some statistical measures. He has a 33.3% pass rush win rate, a measure of how a defensive lineman matches up against blockers, for the top mark in the league by players who have logged at least 50 pass-rush snaps. Gary could move around on the line but typically lines up on the defensive left, meaning he’ll frequently be up against right tackle Jermaine Eluemunor and rotational sixth-blocker Thayer Munford. Eluemunor has been reliable upon winning the starting job last year, but struggled to contain Watt two weeks ago.
Gamebreaker: Free safety Tre’von Moehrig
The Raiders desperately need a second consistent defensive difference-maker to emerge next to star edge rusher Maxx Crosby. The third-year safety, former second-round pick out of TCU might have the inside track on filling the role. Moehrig snagged the Raiders’ first interception of the season last week after Crosby forced Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert out of the pocket, and has been a steadying force on the back end of the defense all year. He’s the second highest rated Raider defender behind Crosby this season by Pro Football Focus’ grading metrics. The Packers are right at NFL average as far as deep passing with quarterback Jordan Love having attempted 11 passes of 20 air yards or more so far this season, but that could increase tonight. Big-play receiver Christian Watson is fully healthy for the first time this season, and that should give Green Bay more of a vertical passing threat. It will primarily be up to Moehrig to make sure they don’t excel there, and so far, he looks up to the task.
Big Number: 27
That’s the number of pressures on the season by Crosby, who was tied for the league lead through four weeks of play with the Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson and the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons. Crosby is tormenting opposing offenses despite most of their game plans being explicitly designed to limit his impact. The 26-year-old had his best game of the season last week with eight tackles, two sacks and a fourth-and-inches stuffed play that gave the Raiders a chance to win at the end of the game. Crosby is surely just as frustrated with the Raiders’ results as his fellow faces of the franchises in Adams and Jacobs, but he’s chosen to go about it in a different way. Crosby has said he’s encouraged by the strides the team has made defensively — including not allowing a single point to the Chargers in the second half — and believes they’re close to putting it all together. He won’t let anyone outwork him in his attempt to help the Raiders get there and is driven by a desire to set the standard for the rest of his teammates.
Best Bet (3-1): Christian Watson over 40.5 receiving yards
The Packers gave every indication all offseason that they consider the second-year player out of North Dakota State their No. 1 receiver. A No. 1 receiver, even a relatively unproven one like Watson, shouldn’t have this short of a yardage total. Watson played for the first time this season in a 34-20 loss to the Lions last week and finished with only two catches for 25 yards but the Packers deliberately limited his snaps to ease him back in. He should be unleashed against the Raiders and could face plus-matchups against Raiders cornerbacks Jakorian Bennett and Marcus Peters. The Raiders’ corners have been careful not to give up too many big plays, but they’ve been mediocre overall and given up a lot of space underneath. Watson should have plenty of room to work with.
