Six Points: Packers vs. Raiders

By foxsports
Published

The NFC North-leading Green Bay Packers (9-4) seek to pad their playoff resume when they take on the Oakland Raiders (6-7) on Sunday. Kickoff is slated for 4:05 p.m. EST at O.Co Stadium.

Green Bay has bounced back from a down November to reclaim the NFC's three-seed. But they've done it with a rolling ground game, not with the arm of quarterback Aaron Rodgers. The reigning MVP has thrown for over 300 yards just three times this season.

He'll have to outwit old teammate Charles Woodson to find his fourth such game. And he'll have to evade AFC Defensive Player of the Week Khalil Mack, fresh off a five-sack performance in Denver. A win moves the Raiders to .500 in December for the first time since 2011.

Here are three keys to the game for both the Packers and Raiders.

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 PACKERS:

1. Keep Khalil Mack away from Aaron Rodgers

Mack can wreck this entire game for the Packers, after single-handedly beating the Broncos with five sacks and a forced fumble last week. The Packers can take several measures to make sure he doesn't reach Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers. They can bolster protection with backs and tight ends, move the pocket with rollouts and slow the rush with screen passes.

2. Maintain a balanced approach on offense

In head coach Mike McCarthy's first game calling the offensive plays this season, the Packers finished with 35 pass attempts and 39 rush attempts (not counting quarterback scrambles and kneel-downs). This balanced approach yielded 218 yards through the air, 230 yards on the ground and a total of 28 points. McCarthy should look to overwhelm Oakland's defense by mixing up the run and the pass in a similar fashion in Week 15.

3. Eliminate the long runs on defense

Against the Dallas Cowboys last week, the Packers allowed runs of 50, 45 and 22 yards. Without these three long runs, Dallas wouldn't have found any success against Green Bay's stifling defense. Raiders running back Latavius Murray has recorded seven rushes longer than 20 yards this season (tied for sixth most in NFL), including a long carry of 54 yards. The Packers can't let Murray make a game-breaking play, especially if it's a low-scoring contest on Sunday.

RAIDERS:

Let Woodson call his own shots

Woodson won a Super Bowl in Green Bay before the Packers sent him packing. This game is personal for the 39-year-old safety -- and the Raiders should harness that emotion, not ignore it. No. 24 is the only Raiders defensive back capable of matching Rodgers' wit; if there's a play to be made that requires him to step out of the called defense, let him do it.

Throw it right at whoever replaces Sam Shields

Packers' coordinator Dom Capers might have to call his aggressive, blitzing defense without its top cover corner in Shields (concussion). There should be opportunities for Amari Cooper, who went without a catch last weekend, to break free downfield. And if Clay Matthews, Mike Daniels, Julius Peppers, or other Packers close in, quarterback Derek Carr can throw hot without knowing Shields is sitting on a pass.

Rev up the pass rush with... Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr.

McCarthy should rightfully plan to keep Rodgers as far away from Mack as humanly possible. But when No. 12 rolls out or rolls double-teams to Mack's side, the Raiders need other pass rushers to apply the heat. Young rushers like Denico Autry and Mario Edwards Jr. must capitalize on a Packers line that has surrendered 31 sacks this season, tenth-most in football.