• Injury concerns for the Raiders: Backup slot corner Nate Hobbs has already been ruled out. Outside cornerbacks David Long and Jakorian Bennett were limited in practice all week and have questionable tags on the final injury report.
• Packers nearing full strength: It feels as though Jordan Love has dinked and dunked his way through the first few weeks of the season, but he has the highest average depth of target of any quarterback in the league right now. Better yet, he returns his star receiver Christian Watson against a depleted secondary.
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Estimated reading time: 3 minutes
GAME OVERVIEW
There are injury concerns in the secondary for both teams. The Raiders, in particular, are starting to look really thin.
Backup slot corner Nate Hobbs has already been ruled out. Outside cornerbacks David Long and Jakorian Bennett were limited in practice all week and have questionable tags on the final injury report. This leaves just Marcus Peters and slot corner Amik Robertson at full health, and if Bennett or Long can not go, there will have to be some practice squad movement to fill the outside corner position. Maxx Crosby was also limited in practice but is not on the final injury report.
The Raiders' injury concerns aren't all on one side of the ball, though, as wide receiver Davante Adams is officially questionable (although he does appear as if he will be good to go), and quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo returns having missed last week.
Former first-round cornerback Eric Stokes is close to returning to the field for the Packers, although he is probably still a week away. Jaire Alexander should be good to go, though, as he appears determined to match up against former teammate Davante Adams. Safety Rudy Ford is also questionable with an oblique injury.
The Packers' starting offensive line also has some issues, as offensive guards Elgton Jenkins and Jon Runyan and right tackle Zach Tom were all limited in practice yet find themselves without a designation on the final injury report.
It remains to be seen whether Aaron Jones is healthy enough to return, as he also comes with a questionable tag.
Green Bay Packers: Over 21.5 Team Points (-116 FanDuel)
The injury concerns surrounding the Las Vegas defense are real. Even if Jakorian Bennett and David Long are ready to go, the Raiders are still struggling for depth and have only the starters available. Meanwhile, the Packers are starting to get healthier on offense.
It feels as though Jordan Love has dinked and dunked his way through the first few weeks of the season, but he has the highest average depth of target of any quarterback in the league right now. Better yet, he returns his star receiver Christian Watson against a depleted secondary.
Quarterback | J. Love | J. Garoppolo |
PFF Grade | 67.2 | 68.7 |
Passer Rating Clean | 104.8 | 111.3 |
Passer Rating Under Pressure | 30.7 | 11.6 |
Big-Time Throw % | 3.82% | 1.82% |
Turnover-Worthy Play % | 2.55% | 3.64% |
Power Rating | 1 | 2.5 |
Power Rating Rank | 25th | 13th |
Christian Watson is a cheat code against man coverage, and the Raiders have played Cover 1 on more than 20% of their snaps so far this season. The team has given up a ridiculous 0.658 expected points added (EPA) per play on those snaps compared to the -0.044 EPA per play they have given up in zone coverage.
Before Watson’s return, the Packers receivers excelled against zone defenses, earning a 73.3 team receiving grade through three weeks compared to a 57.7 grade against man.
They have filled out the weakness of their passing game just in time for a matchup against a team struggling to field a full group of cornerbacks.