It seems like the 2023 Las Vegas Raiders are destined to play almost exclusively close games. Their two victories were by a total of five points and even their defeats to the Los Angeles Chargers and Pittsburgh Steelers were one possession games.
On Monday night against Green Bay, that theme continued as the Raiders were able to hold off the Packers offense and seal a much needed victory.
The story of this game on the offensive side was more of the same struggles to put up points. The Raiders are currently the only team in the NFL to not hit the 20 point mark this season, which is incredibly embarrassing for a unit with stars, like Davante Adams in Josh Jacobs on it.
Thankfully, the Raiders defense came to play and they continued their hot streak that started in the second half against Los Angeles. The Raiders have now given up just 13 points in the last 6 quarters and have come up with some huge turnovers along the way.
On Monday night, the difference was the turnovers the Raiders forced as they made Jordan love look every bit the young and inexperienced quarterback that he is. Perhaps there is some hope for this unit that struggled mightily in 2022 and we’ll see if they can keep this train rolling next week against the Patriots.
Before that, however, let’s take a look at the studs and duds from a crucial week five victory on Monday Night Football.