Oakland Raiders Week 7 X-Factors against the Green Bay Packers

Nicholas Morrow

The entire year, the Silver and Black have been thin at linebacker and that problem has only gotten worse as the season has gone on. One silver lining for the unit is the play of Nicholas Morrow. The division three product is making a case for the team’s defensive MVP award, and a big reason are his coverage skills.

As good as Morrow has played, on Sunday he’ll have stiff competition in the form of Jamaal Williams. In recent years, the running back has found his niche catching balls out of the backfield.

This season, Williams has caught 12 of 14 targets for five first downs, and his passer rating when targeted ranks third among running backs (minimum eight targets). Comparatively, Morrow has allowed nine catches on 13 targets and a 51.8 passer rating when targeted. For Oakland’s defense this might be the most important one-on-one matchup of the game, and a battle the team has to win.