Packers vs. Raiders: Tale of the tape for Week 7 matchup
Defense
Packers
This Packers defense continues to shut teams down. Last week, the Lions came out hot taking some deep shots, taking advantage of the Packers’ aggressive nature. Backup safety Will Redmond bit on play-action on the first play that led to a huge pass completion to open the game. The next drive, there was another big passing play. After that, the secondary made some adjustments and didn’t allow a long deep play for most of the game.
The Smiths have continued to pay dividends for the pass rush. They have been a huge help to the pass defense, not giving the opposing quarterback a lot of time to make a play. Preston Smith has racked up seven sacks so far this season, good for third in the league. Za’Darius Smith isn’t far behind with six sacks. Together, they have the most sacks as a duo in the league.
They are, however, a little banged up too. Kenny Clark has been trending the wrong way on the injury report. Whether we see him on Sunday is still up in the air and he is questionable. Unfortunately, rookie safety Darnell Savage will still be out too, but it looks like cornerback Tony Brown has a shot to come back. So while the defense is getting healthier, some are also getting more banged up.
Raiders
This Raiders’ defensive unit is pretty underrated. They have done a nice job, especially against the run. In the league, they rank 10th in rushing yards allowed per game with just 92 yards per game. This is even without their starting linebacker Vontaze Burfict after he was suspended for the rest of the season after a dirty hit earlier in the year.
The passing game is where this defense is more vulnerable. They give up 263.6 yards per game through the air, 11th-most in the league. They also allow 7.7 yards per pass attempt, which can be a problem when their defense only gets 1.8 sacks per game.
I think that even with the receiving corps limping by, I think with Rodgers under center, the Packers can take advantage of this Oakland secondary. The offensive line should be able to hold up long enough for the Rodgers to pick this secondary apart.
Based on who has to face who, I think the Packers defense will be more effective in this matchup.