5 Things To Watch For In Week 5 of Packers v. Raiders

With four games behind us already, the Packers are at a solid 2-2 on the season. They will look to come out on the positive side of things Monday Night as they take on the Raiders in Las Vegas. Here are my top five things to watch for.

Will The Offense Start Fast?

This comes in at No. 1 after back-to-back weeks of a dormant offense in the first half of each game. Luckily for the Packers, they were able to overcome one of the first-half deficits and end up coming out of the tough stretch 1-1. But hopefully, with Aaron Jones available and Christian Watson seemingly not expected to be on a snap count, along with Elgton Jenkins at least trending in the right direction, this offense will need to show what they can do with their playmakers back.

Can The Defense Stop The Raiders’ Playmakers?

This Raiders’ offense features none other than Green Bay’s own former wide receiver, Davante Adams, as well as Jakobi Meyers and running back Josh Jacobs. Green Bay will need to tighten down, especially on the run game starting out so that the Raiders can’t get into a rhythm. With quarterback Jimmy Garapolo being cleared to play, the Raiders will have their starter back into the fold this week as well. Even with shutting down the run, you then have to worry about arguably the best wide receiver in the league, Adams, while also worrying about Meyers as well. The defense will need to step up this week and shut down the Raiders playmakers.

If available, will Aaron Jones Get The Touches He Needs?

Jones is listed as questionable for Monday’s game with a hamstring injury. We still don’t know for sure if he will be available and if he is, if he will be on a snap count or not. Jones is one of the few veterans on this team and is arguably your biggest playmaker. There is no reason that LaFleur should be waiting until the third drive of games to get Jones the ball. While I do understand that Jones was on a snap count last week, it will be a point to watch this week if he gets normal running back one touches again or not. It will be very important to open up the run game against this Raiders defense so that Love can have a lot more options in the passing game as well. Taking that pressure off of Love should work wonders for the Packers’ offense, who looks to have their healthiest lineup of the year incoming on that side of the ball.

Can The Defensive Line Get Pressure?

While Rashan Gary has been having a monster start to the year, the rest of the edge room is struggling to get pressure as of late. Alongside Gary, they’ll turn to Preston Smith, Kingsley Enagbare, and Justin Hollins on the edge to get some pressure. The more pressure, the better in any game, but especially with a wide receiver core that has Davante Adams on it. The less time you have to cover Adams, the better.

Can The Offensive Line Bounce Back?

While being short-handed last week, the offensive line will need to step it up and give Love time in the pocket this week. After allowing a season-high in sacks and pressures, the Packers are seemingly going to at least have a chance to have Elgton Jenkins back, which will be huge for them. If this offensive line can return to the original form that they started in, not only will Love benefit but also Jones and AJ Dillon. It will all start in the trenches, so starting the game fast and penalty-free will be a big thing to watch for.

Overall, the Packers have a good challenge in front of them this week, but hopefully, they can finally see what this offense can do when everyone, for the most part, is healthy.