Green Bay Packers vs Oakland Raiders: Run Josh, run!

Undeserved

Packers are coming off yet another win and are currently sitting at 5-1. They defeated Detroit Lions on MNF last week, in what was a pretty controversial game. It raised a bunch of questions about the officiating in the league because there were several key calls that went against the Lions in crucial moments of the game and pushed the Packers across the line. Two calls that hurt Detroit the most were the two against Trey Flowers. Both for illegal use of hands (hands to the face). His hands were on shoulder pads of Bakhtiari both times. First time 10 minutes to go on 3rd & 10 when Rodgers was sacked. And the second one on 3rd & 4 inside the last two minutes of the game. Green Bay couldn't complete the pass and should be forced to kick the field goal then and give Stafford about 100 seconds to work with. This way, they got the first down and were able to run the clock down and kick the field goal with no time left on the clock.

But there were also other bad calls in the second half. Tracy Walker going for an interception in the 3rd quarter, accidentally hitting Geronimo Alisson, who was also trying to make the catch. He got called for unnecessary roughness. 3rd & 4, Kerryon Johnson makes a catch for the first down and then fumbles the ball out of bounds. They reviewed it and reversed the call, saying that he never had full possession.

Going through the injury report, there is one pretty obvious problem that the Packers are facing before this game. It seems that they might have to dig deep into their roster to find some receiving options for Aaron Rodgers. Davante Adams is out, Geronimo Allison is doubtful and Marques Valdez-Scantling is questionable after squeezing in a limited practice session on Friday. With Adams out in previous games, they lacked a reliable go-to option. If the other two starters join him on the sidelines, their passing attack might hit a speed bump.

Money, money, money

Raiders took advantage of the bye week to rest, recover and lock in some of the best that they have. They didn't want to take chances with Darren Waller hitting the free-agent market next off-season, so they extended him for 3 years after an amazing start to the season by their tight end. Converted college WR struggled earlier in his career, mostly with issues off the field. But since he cleaned up his act, he became one of the most versatile and productive tight ends in the league.

He is Derek Carr's favorite target. But coach Gruden will probably ask him to do more than just be a receiver in this game. Reasons for that is the doubtful status of their starting right tackle Trent Brown, who is a key player of the OL that was a dominant force so far this season. With guard Gabe Jackson returning, they might kick Denzel Good out to the right, because he has some experience playing the position. Or they'll simply use the backup tackle, David Sharpe. Whoever is out there, Raiders are going to help him out by lining up tight ends on that side, double-teaming and chipping the pass rusher. That is why Waller might not be as productive as a receiver in this game, as he was earlier.

Packer vs Raiders best bet

It's also possible that it's not going to affect Waller that much. Raiders like to use double tight end formations anyway, so Foster Moreau might be the one blocking, chipping and double-teaming. But one thing is sure. Josh Jacobs should have a big game. Raiders are a run-first team and they shouldn't like their chances in the passing game with Tyrell Williams out vs an above-average pass defense. You might say that a one-dimensional offense is easy to stop by stacking the box. Usually, you'd be right. But in this case, Packers are the worst run defense when defending with 8 players in the box, while the Raiders are the best when running against 8 men in the box. Sick stat. Great matchup for Jacobs, who was held under this line only once this season.