Somehow we’ve already made it to Week 5 of the NFL season. After an unfortunate performance on Thursday Night Football, the 2-2 Packers had a mini-bye to rest up and get ready for a trip to Las Vegas where they’ll take on the 1-3 Raiders. Here are six things to keep in mind heading into another primetime matchup.

1. Bye Bye Bye (Bye Bye)

The Packers are always NSYNC heading into the bye week under Head Coach Matt LaFleur. Per the dope sheet, Green Bay is 4-0 in games leading into the bye under LaFleur. The Packers are also incredibly protective of the football in those four games, turning the ball over just once in four contests with a plus-seven turnover differential. 

This is Green Bay’s 31st straight season playing a game on Monday Night Football, dating all the way back to 1993. It’s the NFL’s longest appearance streak in the history of MNF. This is also the fourth consecutive season that the Packers play prime-time games in back-to-back weeks. They’re scheduled to do it again in Weeks 13 and 14 when they play the Chiefs on Sunday Night Football and the Giants on Monday Night Football, respectively. 

2. A Streak Longer Than The Strip

The Packers and Raiders have a ton of history dating all the way Back to Super Bowl II when the Packers won that first meeting (and the Super Bowl) 33-14. That was Vince Lombardi’s last game as coach of the Packers, and you’ll probably recall the photo of him being carried off the field on Jerry Kramer’s shoulders. 

To kick off the regular season series, the Raiders went on a five-game win streak before Green Bay got its first regular season win in 1990. The tides turned from that point on, though, as the Packers started a significant streak of their own. Green Bay has won eight straight games against the Raiders, and in those eight games, the Packers have scored at least 28 points every time. What’s more, Green Bay has scored 30 or more points in five straight games against the Raiders, matching the team’s longest streak against a single opponent. 

When the Packers take the field on Monday night, it’ll be Green Bay’s first time playing the Raiders since they relocated to Las Vegas in 2020. 

3. One Seven in the 702

We couldn’t get through a Raiders preview without talking about Davante Adams, could we? Traded to the Raiders in 2022, Adams still went on to have an All-Pro season in Las Vegas. He finished his first season in black and silver with 100 receptions for 1,516 yards and 14 touchdowns. His 180 targets were the most of his career to-date, and his total receiving yards fell just 37 yards shy of his career high in 2021. Those 1,553 receiving yards in 2021 set the single-season record in Green Bay. 

In fact, Adams’ name is littered all throughout Green Bay’s record books. He’s second in franchise history in receptions (669) and receiving touchdowns (73), third in total touchdowns (73), and fourth in receiving yards (8,121). He also claims the two highest single-season reception totals with 123 in 2021 and 115 in 2020, in addition to his receiving yards mentioned earlier. 

Through four games in 2023, Adams is still putting up big numbers with uncertainty at the quarterback position. Jimmy Garoppolo is still in the concussion protocol, so rookie Aidan O’Connell might get his second start on Monday night. Regardless of who’s throwing him the football, Adams remains on a Hall of Fame trajectory. He’s hauled in 33 catches for 397 yards and three scores in four games. The Packers defense needs to know where No. 17 is on the field at all times if he's able to play through his shoulder injury Monday night. 

4. Gambling on Turnovers

Remember that plus-seven turnover differential we talked about in the first section? The Packers are going to have plenty of opportunities to capitalize on Monday night. This Raiders offense has had three turnovers in each of their last three games (all losses, by the way). On the defensive side of the ball, the Raiders have only forced one turnover through four games, a single interception by safety Tre’von Moehrig. 

The Packers had their worst game of the season at home against the Lions last week when they turned the ball over twice on offense, their only two-turnover game of the season. Defensively, Green Bay has had at least one takeaway in three of their four performances. Raiders quarterbacks have combined for seven interceptions so far this season, so expect the Packers to be able to snag at least one on Monday night. 

5. Running Into Problems

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before. The Packers have yet to eclipse 100 rushing yards in a game all season. Conveniently, neither have the Raiders. Green Bay will benefit from having Aaron Jones back in the lineup once again this week, though his use was limited at best against Detroit last Thursday night. Another week removed from his hamstring injury should hopefully be a good sign that his workload will increase against Las Vegas. 

In the opposing backfield, Josh Jacobs is the workhorse. He has 62 attempts for a modest 166 yards and a touchdown on the ground through four games. Second on the team is actually Garoppolo with 12 attempts for 19 yards. But Jacobs is also a proven threat in the receiving game, hauling in 18 receptions for another 173 yards through the air. 

In Green Bay’s two losses this season they’ve given up 211 rushing yards. In their two victories, they allowed 122 yards and 77 yards on the ground. Jacobs is only averaging 2.7 yards per attempt through the first quarter of the season. This is a Raiders team ranked 25th in points for, 30th on third down conversions, and 24th in the red zone. If there were ever a time to get the run defense back on track, it would be Monday night in Vegas. The Packers absolutely must capitalize and get off the field on third downs. 

6. Familiar Faces  

There are almost too many notable connections going into this prime time contest. To start, kicker Anders Carlson will be playing against his brother Daniel (an All-Pro kicker) who’s been with the Raiders since 2018. Both brothers have a perfect completion percentage on the season, so their success must come from genetics. 

Of course, Packers Assistant Head Coach and special teams coordinator Rich Bisaccia comes from the Raiders, having served as interim head coach in 2021 before departing for Green Bay. When he came to the Packers, he brought with him core special teamers Keisean Nixon and Dallin Leavitt who have been on the squad since. 

Former Packers running back Edgar Bennett is also the wide receivers coach for the Raiders and has been in that position for six years. In his first season with the Raiders in 2018, Bennett coached former Packers receiver Jordy Nelson. Now, Bennett has been able to reunite with Adams and helped him set a franchise record for receiving yards in 2022. 

What I’ll be drinking for the game: 

When you live in Wisconsin, everybody has their version of “up north.” Mine is the Three Lakes and Eagle River area, home to Tribute Brewing. My parents were kind enough to grab me some Tribute beers when they were up north this past weekend, which means I get to enjoy a Barefoot Charlie IPA during the game. Normally I’d be leaning into Oktoberfests, but something about a dank IPA feels right playing the Raiders.