Raiders prove they’re pretenders in brutal loss to Packers

The Raiders had a chance to prove just how good they were at Green Bay this week but instead they showed just how far they are away from Super Bowl contention.

Jon Gruden’s team went to Lambeau Field with sincere hopes of showing the world that they were ready to be a factor in the race for the AFC West title. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Aaron Rodgers and the Packers were in no mood to boost Oakland’s stock.

The future Hall of Fame quarterback and his offense carved up Gruden’s defense to the tune of 42 points. Oakland’s defense was powerless to do anything to stop Rodgers. In particular, the Raiders’ inability to rush the passer was on full display. Green Bay’s playbook was wide open because they had the ability to give Rodgers an eternity to throw the ball.

The silver lining for the silver and black was the play of their offense. Josh Jacobs missed some of the first half with a shoulder injury but the rookie running back still had a big day against a pretty stout Packers’ run defense. His efforts weren’t enough to give the Raiders a big win, but he still finished the contest with 21 carries for 124 yards.

Derek Carr turned the football over twice, including a costly turnover at the goal line, but otherwise he did a really nice job keeping his offense on schedule. He may never develop into the franchise quarterback some people thought he would become earlier in his career, but no one can blame him for this loss. He finished the day 22-of-28 for 293 yards and one touchdown. Gruden and his coaching staff would be happy to get that sort of production from Carr on a weekly basis.

The loss drops the Raiders to 3-3 on the season. That leaves them on the outside looking in at the playoff picture in the AFC East. It also leaves Oakland 1.5 games behind the Chiefs in the division. The team’s schedule isn’t going to do them any favors in the near future. After leaving Green Bay, Oakland will play at the Texans and host the Lions in the next two weeks. They could very well enter both matchups as underdogs. In other words, it’s going to be tough for the Raiders to climb back into the postseason picture anytime soon.

In fairness to the Raiders, this 2019 wasn’t really supposed to be the season where they became legitimate Super Bowl contenders. The team’s surprising 3-2 start served to raise expectations in Oakland to an unreasonable level. This franchise is still on schedule. Mike Mayock and his front office simply need to continue to add talent, particularly on the defensive side of the ball. If they do that, the Raiders may become serious title contenders earlier than anyone thought possible.