Where the Raiders are good
Oakland is led by its passing offense, which ranks 12th in the NFL behind quarterback Derek Carr and emerging rookie wide receiver Amari Cooper.
Carr is 10th in the NFL in overall passer rating (96.5) while Cooper, with 62 receptions for 920 yards, leads all rookie receivers in the league.
What is interesting about last week’s upset 15-victory in Denver was that the Raiders got very little from these two key playmakers and still won!
Carr completed just 12 of 29 passes for 135 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. Cooper was shut out despite being targeted eight times.
The victory in Denver had more to do with their defense and the fact the Broncos suffered “one of those games,” much like the Packers went through late last season in Buffalo.
The Broncos, in a rare off-day at home, were plagued by dropped passes and run over by a Mack truck - Khalil Mack, the NFL sack leader who made five sacks in the game. It is a game that could cost the Broncos down the road in the playoffs when it comes to the AFC Title game ,like a bad day in Buffalo cost the Packers home field in the NFC Title game last year.
Downfield
The Raiders offense is a vertical, rather than lateral, passing game. I’m not saying this is the old “bombs away” attack of Daryle Lamonica in the sixties, but Carr has completed 31 passes of 25 yards or longer this season.
In Cooper, he has a legitimate deep threat with 4.3 speed. Former San Francisco 49er Michael Crabtree is an accomplished and polished West Coast offense-style receiver who handles the underneath routes. In tight ends Michael Rivera and Clive Walford, they have players who can stretch the seam; in Seth Roberts, a quick slot receiver who is especially dangerous in the red zone.
The Raiders passing game will stretch the Green Bay defense, and the Packers will be without their best cover corner Sam Shields, who is in the NFL concussion protocol this week after leaving the Dallas game with a head injury. Look for rookie Demarious Randall to get the call on Cooper.
Running game
As for running the football, Latavius Murray is second in the AFC and sixth in the NFL in rushing yards with 878 yards, but much of that came earlier this season.
Recently, Murray and the Raiders have struggled to move the ball on the ground. Over the last five weeks, the ground game has come to a halt, averaging 67.2 yards per game and a 2.9 per rush average.
At Denver, the Raiders managed 27 rushing yards on 23 attempts, a 1.2-yard average with a long gain of 7 yards.
Still, Murray is a dangerous back who is big (6’3”, 230 pounds), has good hands with 31 receptions, and can hit the home run - as a 54 yard run and five touchdowns will attest.
The Packers defense has been much improved down-to-down on the ground, but has been gashed by big plays, three of them in the Dallas game (50,45,22 yards) that skewed the numbers.
Green Bay gave up 171 yards rushing on 20 attempts by the Cowboys, but take away the three gashes and Green Bay held Dallas to 54 yards on 17 attempts, an average of 3.2 yards per carry.
Raiders defense
The Oakland defense is pedestrian, overall 23rd in points (25.1), 25th in yards (371.5) and 28th against the pass (271.5), but they are tough to run on - 12th (101.1). They are hard to score on in the red zone, giving up touchdowns in that area just 52.1% of the time, ranking 10th in the NFL.
Linebacker/defensive end Khalil Mack is an emerging second-year star, leading the NFL in sacks with 14. He will line up at outside linebacker and at defensive end. He is always coming after the QB and he gets there more often than not.
Mack, a first round draft pick out of the University of Buffalo in 2014, has a great combination of speed (4.57 second 40-yard dash time) and power, and is the NFL defensive player of the week following his five-sack performance in Denver last week.
The Raiders move him from side to side, so both of Green Bay’s offensive tackles - Bryan Bulaga on the right side and David Bakhtiari on the left - will have to be aware, as will quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers are likely to be in more “20” sets as they were against Dallas with two backs (fullback John Kuhn), three wide receivers and no tight ends, and it will be up to Kuhn to slow Mack with chip blocks, allowing Rodgers to look down field.
Cat and mouse game
The other player the Packers - and especially Rodgers - have to be aware of is safety Charles Woodson. He is playing at a high level with five interceptions, three fumble recoveries and a forced fumble.
Woodson is flat out the most intelligent and instinctive defensive player I have ever seen in some 38 years of covering the NFL.
At 39 years old, the former Packer is having an outstanding season unheard of for a defensive back at that age. He is now comfortable at safety, and the Raiders take advantage of his experience and knowledge by allowing him to “freelance” in the secondary. Knowing where he is on the field becomes the top priority for the Green Bay quarterback.
The chess match between "Wood" and "ARod" will be fascinating to watch. These two went up against each other for three years while Rodgers ran the scout team in practice preparing the Green Bay defense for that week’s opponent against Woodson’s defense.
These guys are two of the smartest players in the game today, and the overall contest could hinge on their “cat and mouse” game within the game Sunday.
Slot matchup
One matchup you might not be thinking of in this week’s game is in the slot where Seth Roberts (No. 10 for the Raiders) matches up against Casey Hayward, the Packers’ slot cover corner.
Roberts has been especially dangerous in the red zone where his quickness and short area speed comes to the fore. Roberts has 27 receptions for 423 yards and five touchdowns, including two game winning catches.
Hayward is much better in the slot than outside, but this week he will have his hands full with Roberts.
Offensive line
This is one of the biggest offensive lines across the board the Packers have faced this season.
The Raiders go 325 pounds from left tackle to right tackle, and despite their immense size they do possess some good athleticism.
Donald Penn is a free agent pickup from Tampa Bay at left tackle, center Rodney Hudson is an accomplished free agent acquisition at center and left guard Gabe Jackson fits the gap-power running scheme the Raiders run perfectly. They take advantage of Jackson’s athleticism by featuring his pulling ability.
Getting around this bunch to the quarterback will be no easy task for the Green Bay front. The Raiders have given up just 21 sacks, ranking fourth in the NFL.
