Raiders vs Packers 2023 Week 5: 3 crucial storylines for Las Vegas

Week 5 of the 2023 NFL season brings another primetime game for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they welcome the Green Bay Packers to Allegiant Stadium for a Monday Night Football battle. The Raiders have lost three straight since opening their 2023 season with a win in Denver, and are looking to get their season pointed in the right direction.

To do so, they will have to beat a Green Bay team fresh off a drubbing at the hands of division rival Detroit their last time out. Jordan Love is a solid young quarterback who has taken control of the offense since Aaron Rodgers left for New York, but has had his ups and downs in his first season as the starter.

Here, we look at a few storylines to keep an eye on this week.

Raiders vs Packers 2023 Week 5: 3 things to watch

Davante Adams vs the Green Bay Packers

While the Raiders have certainly been inconsistent since trading for Davante Adams, the star running back has been anything but. Adams has come to Las Vegas and continued is Hall of Fame career, and at times, it seems he is the only consistent player on offense that the Raiders start each week.

This will be a special game for Adams, as he is going up against his former team for the first time. The star wideout suffered an injury in the Week 4 loss to Los Angeles, but came back during the game, so he should be ready to go and make an impact against some of his former teammates.

Can Josh Jacobs continue to improve in the run game?

The fact that Josh McDaniels decided to throw late in the Chargers game after getting first-and-goal still boggles my mind, but we have already beaten that to death. The truth is, Josh Jacobs was finally getting the run game going last weekend, so they should have given him the ball four straight times inside the five-yard line.

The Raiders need Jacobs to continue to improve in the run game, as he has gotten off to a slow start, but is starting to turn the corner. If the Silver and Black can get Jacobs going early and often in this one, it should make for a much more balanced attack on that side of the ball, and not cause the quarterback to force things.

Will the defense build off a strong effort in Los Angeles?

The truth is, the Raiders defense did just fine against Justin Herbert and the Chargers last weekend, despite the fact Los Angeles scored 24 points. The defense shut out Herbert and company in the second half, and had it not been for some short fields caused by fumbles by Aidan O'Connell, I believe the defense could have done even better.

Tre'Von Moehrig has stepped up in a big way in Year 3, and of course, Maxx Crosby is dominating the NFL landscape once again. The Raiders defense needs a strong outing against an inexperienced quarterback in Jordan Love on Monday night, because doing so could lead to the Raiders coming away with a much-needed second win.