Raiders mauled by Lions for second straight loss

By Case Keefer (contact)

Published Monday, Oct. 30, 2023 | 2 a.m.

Updated Monday, Oct. 30, 2023 | 8:15 p.m.

The Raiders’ defense kept things interesting for a while on Monday Night Football at Ford Field but the offense ensured it was all for naught.

Las Vegas couldn’t turn around its lackluster offense even with the return of starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, as it lost 26-14 to Detroit while mustering only 157 total yards.  

The Raiders fall to 3-5 with a second straight loss, both on the road against NFC North opponents, with Garoppolo going 10-for-21 for 126 yards and an interception.

Las Vegas’ defense accounted for most, if not all, of its biggest plays of the game including a 74-yard interception return by veteran cornerback Marcus Peters early in the third quarter. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff threw an errant pass, and Peters was there to notch the eighth pick-six of his storied career.

That made the score 16-14, but the Lions drove right back down the field on their next possession, all the way to the three-yard line before the Raiders’ defense stepped up again.

Edge rusher Maxx Crosby forced and recovered a fumble by running back Craig Reynolds on top of a pile near the goal line.

Wide receiver Davante Adams then dropped a third-down pass that hit him right in the hands to force a punt. Cornerback Amik Robertson gifted the Lions a chunk play with a pass-interference penalty, and then Detroit running back Jahmyr Gibbs — who had 152 rushing yards on 26 carries — broke loose for a 27-yard touchdown on he next play.

That put the Lions up two scores, 23-14, and with the way the Raiders’ offense operated all night, there was no way they were digging out of a two-score hole. Las Vegas scored in the first half when Josh Jacobs rushed in a two-yard touchdown but the 10-play, 60-yard drive was largely assisted by a personal foul call on the Lions.

Detroit racked up 486 total yards but struggled to finish drives all night. Riley Patterson made four of five field goal attempts to keep them ahead throughout the entire game but the field goals made for some tense moments when the Raiders’ defense continually set up the offense for success.

Las Vegas forced three turnovers, with a forced fumble by Luke Masterson and recovered by Robert Spillane joining Peters’ and Crosby’s plays. That’s typically a recipe for success.

Just not an offense as anemic as the one the Raiders are fielding.

This is a developing story. Check back later more coverage and read below for updates from throughout the game. 

Jahmyr Gibbs just broke one.

The Lions’ rookie running back had been piling on yards all night, and it felt like only a matter of time until he broke loose for a big play. It happened on a 27-yard touchdown run following a pass interference penalty by Raiders cornerback Amik Robertson to get the Lions in scoring range.

Detroit leads 23-14 with 3:13 remaining in the third quarter. Las Vegas should be down much more by all the statistics, but it’s somehow still got a chance.

Marcus Peters claims pick six

The Raiders are right in this.

The Lions have marched up and down the field all night, but it doesn’t matter with the home team clinging to only a 16-14 lead after the first interception and touchdown of veteran cornerback Marcus Peters’ Raider career. Lions quarterback Jared Goff threw into traffic around the Raiders’ 25-yard line and Peters capitalized with a pick and the ensuing sprint down the sideline.

Goff had a chance to tackle him but Peters, carrying the ball with one hand, juked him away and then went untouched into the opposing end zone.

Lions, Raiders trade touchdowns to end first half

A long-awaited scoring flurry struck over the final three minutes of the first half on Monday Night Football.

Detroit leads Las Vegas 16-7 after rookie tight end Sam LaPorta caught an 18-yard touchdown pass from veteran quarterback Jared Goff with 27 seconds remaining. Raiders running back Josh Jacobs had scored the game’s first touchdown less than 2:30 before, rushing in a three-yard score.

The Lions dominated the Raiders in the first half, racking up an 263-100 yardage advantage including 6.3-4.3 in yards per play. But Las Vegas’ defense held strong on the home team’s first three deep drives, forcing three field goals from Detroit kicker Riley Patterson.

The unit broke at the end though as LaPorta was open down the middle of the field in the critical situation. Las Vegas has some things to figure out at halftime to get back into the game.  

Jacobs banks game’s first touchdown

Josh Jacobs took the Raiders 60 yards down the field on 10 plays to score for their first scoring play of the night.

It’s 9-7 Lions with about three minutes remaining until halftime at Ford Field. Jimmy Garoppolo only had to pass twice, both completions to tight end Austin Cooper, on the touchdown drive that took 5:12 off the clock.

Otherwise, it was Jacobs — and the officials. The Raiders’ biggest gain actually came when the Lions drew a personal foul for a low block.

Detroit has outplayed Las Vegas more than the score indicates, but hasn’t been able to finish drives in the early going.  

Raiders starting slow

Jimmy Garoppolo is back; the Raiders’ offense is still missing.

Las Vegas has done nothing with its first three possessions at Ford Field, leading to a 6-0 hole against the Lions. The Raiders’ defense has picked up the slack, holding the Lions to a pair of field goals by Riley Patterson through 17 minutes of play.

Detroit got all the way to the eight-yard line on its last possession, but a Robert Spillane run stuff followed by a holding penalty pushed the Lions back. Patterson’s two field goals have come from 31 and 44 yards.

Detroit has picked up 121 yards to Las Vegas’ 29 yards. The Raiders’ defense recovered a fumble deep in Lions’ territory in the first quarter, but Garoppolo forced a deep ball to Davante Adams on the next play and Lions defensive back Kerby Joseph made an easy interception.

Inactives announced

The Raiders come into tonight’s Monday Night Football at Ford Field as the healthier side.

It was trending that way all week, but the just-released inactives list confirmed that Detroit will be down a pair of important offensive starters while all three Las Vegas players listed as “questionable” will play. Lions center Frank Ragnow (toe/calf) and running back David Montgomery (ribs) are both out.

Raiders cornerback Nate Hobbs (ankle), kicker Daniel Carlson (groin) and linebacker Curtis Bolton (knee) will all play. Carlson and Hobbs may seem to be the most important of that group, but Bolton could play a big role in his first game back from a stay on injured reserve.

The Raiders are thin at linebacker with starter Divine Deablo out with an ankle injury and reserve Kana’I Mauga missing with a knee injury.

The Raiders’ inactives were Deablo, kicker James McCourt, cornerback Tyler Hall, wide receiver Kristain Wilkerson, defensive tackle Byron Young, defensive tackle Nesta Jade Silvera and quarterback Brian Hoyer. That means, for the first time this season, rookie Aidan O’Connell will serve as Jimmy Garoppolo’s backup with Hoyer falling to the emergency role.

GAMEDAY PREVIEW

Urgency should be heightened for the Las Vegas Raiders and Detroit Lions, who square off in this week’s Monday Night Football contest, considering the humbling results they each received last week. They lost by a combined 50 points in Week 7, with the Lions falling 38-6 at Baltimore and the Raiders suffering a 30-12 defeat at Chicago.

The typical midseason injury spike appeared to hurt both teams. The Raiders’ offense looked particularly limited without starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo, who was out after being transported to the hospital at halftime of a Week 6 win over the New England Patriots. The Lions didn’t have one huge headliner missing, but the team as a whole was so beaten up that coach Dan Campbell canceled one of their practices leading up to the Ravens game.

The hope is that, with an extra day to prepare, both teams will be healthier this week. Las Vegas needs a better performance to keep pace in the AFC playoff race, while Detroit wants to avoid losing its stranglehold on the NFC North lead.

Favorable matchup: Garoppolo’s return vs. Lions’ zone-heavy defense

On the surface, this isn’t an ideal setup for the Raiders’ passing game to get back on track as the Lions’ defense has improved drastically this season. Detroit rates ninth in the NFL in pass defense per the DVOA ratings. But the Lions have climbed the rankings by flipping their philosophy, going from one of the heaviest man-to-man teams in the league a year ago to one of the most zone-dedicated approaches this season. Garoppolo has fared much better against zone throughout his career, and it’s one of the reasons why the Raiders brought him in through free agency to replace Derek Carr, who was more comfortable attacking one-on-one matchups. Throughout his tenure with the San Francisco 49ers, Garoppolo’s greatest strength was finding windows in opponents’ zones and getting his playmakers the ball with room to operate. Those are the kind of opportunities frustrated Raiders star receiver Davante Adams is pining to get. He should have a chance if Garoppolo is half as effective as Ravens quarterback Lamar Jackson was last week in picking apart the Lions for 357 yards on 21-for-27 passing.

Problematic matchup: Lions’ linemen vs. Raiders’ linemen

The biggest frustration Raiders coach Josh McDaniels shared after the loss to the Bears was the way the team lost control at the line of scrimmage. There’s a strong possibility of a repeat if the Raiders don’t play better in the trenches on both sides of the ball against the Lions. Led by a pair of Pro Bowlers in center Frank Ragnow and left tackle Penei Sewell, Detroit has a mauling offensive line. The unit ranks as the fifth best in the league by Pro Football Focus’ metrics. Take away superstar Maxx Crosby and the Raiders may have the single worst defensive line. On the other side of the ball, the matchup isn’t much rosier. Lions edge rusher Aidan Hutchinson is second in the league in pressures — with 42 to Crosby’s 43 — and should be primarily matched up against the Raiders’ right tackle rotation of Jermaine Eluemunor and Thayer Munford. Hutchinson and Munford have history dating back to their college days at Michigan and Ohio State, respectively, as the former embarrassed the latter in a viral play from the 2021 rivalry. Munford later downplayed Hutchinson’s impact and said he wasn’t one of his toughest one-on-one matchups to add fuel to the situation.

Gamebreaker: Linebacker Luke Masterson

While the Raiders should be closer to full strength on offense against the Lions, that doesn’t look like it’s going to extend to the defense. One of their linchpins and second-leading tackler, linebacker Divine Deablo, is expected to miss the game with an ankle injury he suffered in the second half against the Bears. Filling in fell to second-year former undrafted free agent Luke Masterson, who appeared to play well despite the game being mostly out of reach. Las Vegas’ coaching staff has been high on Masterson dating back to last year when he was a surprise inclusion on the initial roster. He struggled defensively as a rookie but was a valuable contributor on special teams. Masterson seems to have made progress as a defender in limited snaps this year, however, and he’ll need to show it against the Lions. Detroit quarterback Jared Goff likes to target short routes in the middle of the field where linebackers are usually responsible for coverage. Deablo had excelled as a pass defender this year, leaving a high bar for Masterson to clear.

Big Number: 13

That’s the number of missed tackles by the Raiders in last week’s loss to the Bears, where they failed to bring down the ball carrier five more times than they have in any other game this season. Las Vegas’ defense was trending upwards during a two-game winning streak until the Chicago loss where it seemed to shy from contact and show a nonchalance in wrapping up. Chicago power back D’Onta Foreman was who really punished Las Vegas, and the good news is Detroit doesn’t have any running backs as bruising, especially not with David Montgomery nursing an injured rib. But the Lions’ two leaders in receptions, Pro Bowl slot receiver Amon Ra St. Brown and rookie tight end Sam LaPorta, are both known for their strength and ability to run through arm tackles. The Raiders are going to need to tackle better immediately. Fundamentals aren’t typically drilled at practices as much at this point of the season, but Las Vegas defensive coordinator Patrick Graham said there would be a focus on tackling this week.

Best Bet (5-2): Jahmyr Gibbs to score a touchdown

The Lions’ featured running back may not outmuscle the Raiders like the Bears’ Foreman did a week ago, but the rookie out of Alabama should find openings with his speed and shiftiness. Las Vegas has shown occasional flashes of an improved rush defense, but it still ranks in the bottom 10 of the league in allowing 4.4 yards per carry. And that’s not all Gibbs can do. The Lions tried to sell the idea that Gibbs would be just as effective as a receiver upon taking him much higher than expected in the draft, with the 12th overall pick. A glimpse of that was evident last week when Gibbs had nine catches for 58 yards. Whether it’s rushing or receiving, Gibbs should find the end zone somehow against the Raiders for his second NFL touchdown. This bet is available at -120 (i.e. risking $120 to win $100), and that price looks a little short.