Aaron Rodgers' Monster 6-TD Game Powers Packers to 42-24 Win vs. Raiders

With Patrick Mahomes suffering a knee injury Thursday, the Oakland Raiders traveled to Green Bay with the window cracked in the AFC West.  

The Packers may have slammed it shut.  

Aaron Rodgers had by far his finest performance of the season, and the Raiders made miscues at inopportune times, as Green Bay earned a 42-24 win over the Raiders on Sunday.

Rodgers had his first five-touchdown passing performance since 2015 and added another score on the ground, finally looking like an MVP-caliber player after an up-and-down first six games. Eight different Packers players caught passes as Rodgers spread the ball around with Davante Adams sitting out his third straight game due to injury.

The Raiders offense found a surprising amount of success against what to this point had been a stout Green Bay defense. The biggest swing of the game came after Derek Carr fumbled the ball at the pylon, resulting in a turnover, in the second quarter. Rodgers led the Packers on a touchdown drive on the ensuing possession for a 14-point swing.

Green Bay's 42 points are a season high allowed for the Raiders, who drop to 3-3.

Notable Stats

Raiders

QB Derek Carr: 22-of-28, 293 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT

RB Josh Jacobs: 21 CAR, 124 YDS (3 REC, 10 YDS) 

TE Darren Waller: 7 REC, 126 YDS, 2 TD

Packers

QB Aaron Rodgers: 25-of-31, 429 YDS, 5 TD (2 CAR, 6 YDS, 1 TD)

RB Aaron Jones: 12 CAR, 50 YDS (4 REC, 33 YDS, 1 TD)

WR Marquez Valdes-Scantling: 2 REC, 133 YDS, 1 TD

TE Jimmy Graham: 4 REC, 65 YDS, 1 TD

One Week Blip or Is Aaron Rodgers Back?

It'd be hard to blame you if your initial reaction was "what do you mean back? Aaron Rodgers never left!"

Which, of course, would be ignoring a full season's worth of data that says otherwise.

Expecting anyone, even as someone as gifted as Rodgers, to throw five touchdowns a week would be a fool's errand. But what about three touchdowns? That seems like a relatively reasonable total for one of the NFL's best quarterbacks, right?

This was Rodgers' first three-touchdown game since Sept. 7...of 2018. Foisting the blame on Mike McCarthy for last season is convenient, but Rodgers had thrown for eight touchdowns total through his first six games. He had as many games with zero or one touchdown as he did with two. 

Over his previous 16 games, Rodgers threw for 4,460 yards and 23 touchdowns against three interceptions. That's about as pedestrian as quarterback numbers can get in the year 2019. Add in Rodgers' struggles with completion percentage—his 62.6 rate was right on par with last season's disappointing numbers—and it's fair to wonder if this was more of an outlier than a sign of things to come.

Rodgers is certainly capable of extraordinary things, and the offense might look more consistent once Adams gets back on the field. However, anyone holding onto Rodgers in their fantasy league might want to use this performance as a chance to sell high.

The Raiders Offense Is for Real

Kirk Cousins: 14-of-32, 230 YDS, 1 TD, 2 INT

Carson Wentz: 16-of-27, 160 YDS, 3 TD

Dak Prescott: 27-of-44, 463 YDS, 2 TD, 3 INT

Derek Carr: 22-of-28, 293 YDS, 2 TD, 1 INT

Those are the numbers of four prominent quarterbacks against the Packers this season. Wentz's numbers are the most desirable of the four given the lack of turnovers, but it's fair to say Carr's are the best of the four on a per-throw basis. He didn't even have the benefit of a full quarter of garbage time, as the Raiders took Carr out late in favor of Mike Glennon.

The Raiders were three red-zone possessions away from this being a far different game. Carr made an ill-advised decision to reach for the pylon on a second-down scramble, costing the Raiders possession at the 1-yard line. Jacobs was stuffed within inches of the goal with the game still in reach early in the fourth, then Carr threw a pick into the end zone on the Raiders' subsequent possession.

Those 21 points are the difference between a 42-24 loss and a 45-42 win. The final score is nowhere near indicative of how well the Raiders played against one of the NFL's stingiest defenses.

Oakland's own defense, on the other hand, could use some (a lot) of work. 

What's Next?

The Raiders travel to Houston for a game against the Texans next Sunday. The Packers have a Sunday night game against a Mahomes-less Chiefs.