Five Packers to watch vs. Raiders in Week 7 matchup
By Jesse Fry
2. Dean Lowry
Dean Lowry was one of the unheralded stars on Monday night. He helped the defense hold Lions running back Kerryon Johnson to 34 yards on 13 carries.
The Packers will need more of that Sunday. The Raiders have a good rookie running back in Josh Jacobs. He ran right through one of the best defenses in the game two weeks ago against the Bears and will no doubt want to do the same to Green Bay.
Coach Jon Gruden’s game plan will likely call for the Raiders to control the clock and keep Rodgers off the field. Holding Jacobs to small gains will wreck that idea.
The Packers’ pass rush just keeps coming and will get better as rookie Rashan Gary develops and the playbook is expanded. In order for that to happen, the Packers’ defense needs to control first and second down and prepare to tee off on third.
After getting gouged on the ground three weeks in a row, the Packers have put together back-to-back good games against the run. Packers defensive coordinator Mike Pettine sees a problem and he addresses it. This will no doubt be another week where the focus to stop the run will help Pettine stop the pass.