Pick-Six Preview: Raiders at Packers
Oakland Raiders (3-2) at Green Bay Packers (5-1)
The vitals: noon Sunday at Lambeau Field.
TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, Tony Romo and Tracy Wolfson).
Series: The Packers lead the regular-season series 7-5. The Raiders won the first five; the Packers won the next seven. Not included is Super Bowl II, which Green Bay won 33-14.
The last time: On Dec. 20, 2015, the Packers won at Oakland 30-20. Damarious Randall’s pick-six in the first quarter got Green Bay rolling and James Jones added a 30-yard touchdown.
Video: LaFleur says Packers are 'resilient'
The quarterback
Derek Carr leads the NFL with a completion percentage of 73.3. It’s a lot of dinking and dunking, though. Carr’s average pass travels 5.91 yards. Of 36 qualifying quarterbacks, that ranks 35th in the league. It’s added up to winning football, though, with the Raiders a surprising 3-2. “I think we just have a mature, young football team, to be honest,” he said. “Our young guys are really talented. It’s really nice to have that. We’re a better football team this year than we were last year. Coach built a solid foundation. I just want to win. But the cool thing about it now is I could see it last year. We’re going to be awesome. I know it. I know we’ll be able to play in big games and beat people. That said, no one else believed him, except the people in our building, and that’s all that matters. I think it’s carried over since last year. I think it will continue to grow.”
His top weapon
With last year’s trade of Amari Cooper and this year’s failed signing of Antonio Brown, it’s little wonder why Carr hasn’t been airing it out. Oakland’s top weapon has been rookie running back Josh Jacobs. Jacobs has rushed for 430 yards and four touchdowns in five games, giving him a 16-game projection of 1,376 yards. He’s averaging 4.89 yards per carry and leads all rookies in rushing. In his last game, Week 5 in London, he rushed for 123 yards and two touchdowns against Chicago. He’s tough to bring down. On 88 carries and six receptions, he’s forced 28 missed tackles, according to Pro Football Focus.
Getting defensive
Benson Mayowa wasn’t exactly a blockbuster signing by general manager Mike Mayock. In his first six NFL seasons, he had started 15 games, never played half the snaps in a season and had a total of 13 sacks. In his four games of this season, he’s got 4.5 sacks – not far off his career-high total of 6.0 with Dallas in 2016 – and two forced fumbles. Of his 86 defensive snaps, 84 have come from the defense’s left side – meaning another big matchup for right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who has not allowed a sack or quarterback hit.
Noteworthy number
60: Yards of Trevor Davis’ touchdown run against Indianapolis in his Raiders debut in Week 3. The former Packers receiver, who had a big game against Oakland in the preseason and was traded to the Raiders for a sixth-round draft pick on Sept. 18, has provided a shot in the arm to a depleted attack. In three games, he’s carried twice for 74 yards, caught four passes for 42 yards and averaged 28.3 yards per kickoff return and 5.7 yards per punt return.
The big picture
Graphic courtesy of NFL Communications
