Lions Will Maul Raiders On Monday Night

Raiders vs. Lions, 8:15 ET

Football is a week-to-week sport. Every game is crucial since there are the fewest of any of the big sports. Let's face it, if you lose a game in the NBA or MLB, it is typically not a big deal - down the stretch, of course, there are exceptions. In the NFL, losing one week is the equivalent of a 10-game MLB losing streak and a five-game losing streak in the NBA. It isn't backbreaking, but you've got to improve quickly. Tonight, the Raiders take on the Lions on Monday Night Football with both teams coming into the game looking to avenge a recent loss.

Is the franchise just a bad franchise? What is it about the Raiders that continuously sees them going nowhere? They are just 3-4, but unless some sort of miracle takes place, they aren't going to make the playoffs. It seems like they thought Derek Carr was the problem, but his absence hasn't made anything better. Their star wide receiver, Davante Adams is unhappy but productive enough despite being someone that opposing defenses know the Raiders want to involve. Josh Jacobs looks like a shell of himself and his productivity is down from last season. They get Jimmy Garoppolo back on the field tonight, but that's not even a great relief because he has thrown more interceptions than touchdowns this season. The Lions defense is talented (I'm not quite ready to say they are a good defense because in my assessment, I think they are still figuring a lot of things out). The Lions have been good against the run and the Raiders have been terrible at running the ball, so that goes out the window and now if the offensive line can't give Garoppolo time, the offense is done. Expect heavy rushes and blitz packages from the Lions all night.

LAS VEGAS, NEVADA - SEPTEMBER 24: Davante Adams #17 of the Las Vegas Raiders celebrates a touchdown with Jimmy Garoppolo #10 during the first quarter in the game against the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first quarter at Allegiant Stadium on September 24, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Sam Morris/Getty Images)

The Lions were rolling. They opened the season with a win over the defending Super Bowl champions. Then they lost to the Seahawks who are a good but inconsistent team. Then everything started clicking and they won four straight games, none of which were particularly close. Last week, though, was a bit of a disaster. Maybe it was a bad spot, maybe it was a sign of the opponents they've beaten. Wins over the Falcons, Packers, Panthers, and Buccaneers aren't exactly four playoff-hopeful wins. However, as I've said before, you can't control your schedule. You just have to execute and get wins - that's precisely what they did. Against the Raiders though they couldn't stop the offense, and their own offense couldn't get anything done against Baltimore. The good news for the Lions is that the Raiders are significantly closer in competition to the four wins than they are to the Ravens. Jared Goff should be able to get his play makers some solid receptions. I'd expect the Lions running game to have at least a more average game as well. Still, a lot of this game will come down to the Lions stopping Garoppolo and Adams.

This really shouldn't be a very close game. The Raiders are a team that has so many issues right now that you can't even fix them. Could they come and ball out on Monday Night Football, of course. Adams is one of the best receivers in the game and if he gets open, he is very hard to stop. He's smart too, if you watch him, he doesn't take many big hits. Rather than go for the extra yard in the middle of the 1st quarter, he kind of dives down to avoid a hit. Facing a nonexistent run game and a one threat passing game, the Lions defense has quite the edge. Their offense should also be able to exploit the holes in the Raiders defense. I'll take the Lions -7 at home and hope they close the backdoor on them.

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