A member of this community needed one point from Romeo Doubs. It shouldn't have been that dramatic, but it was that kind of night. In fact, it was the lowest-scoring Monday Night Football game since October 25th, 2021, when the talent-depleted Saints edged the Russell=Wilson-less Seahawks 13-10. New Orleans prevailed on the road because Alvin Kamara had 30 touches, with 20 coming on the ground. The rest of his non-QB teammates combined for only 12 touches.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur seemed to approach last night similarly, feeding backup A.J. Dillon 20 times on the ground. But unlike Kamara, Dillon was not tasked with bailing out his team through the air. That fell to the still-green Jordan Love and his still-green receivers. It clearly didn't work out.
No doubt, Love was not on his game. More on that in a moment. It's also fair to point out that Christian Watson entered last night with only 12 NFL starts under his belt. Doubs had 10. Jayden Reed and Luke Musgrave are rookies. Tertiary options Dontayvion Wicks and Ben Sims (one catch apiece) are also rookies. On Love's 23 throws to WRs/TEs, 11 went to first-year players.
This is the state of things in Green Bay. And with the great Aaron Jones still hobbled, the offense lacks its Kamara -- someone who can do it all on the ground and through the air, when needed. Someone who can puff up his QB's stats with dump-off yards-after-the-catch.
Much will be made today of Love's pitiful prime-time performance. In many respects, he didn't look like a long-term NFL starter. And yet, it was his first sub-17-fantasy-point outing of the season. His mobility is a largely unheralded asset that should keep his floor high most weeks. In fact, that deep connection with Watson was set up by the right-handed Love scrambling to his left and throwing 35 yards with defenders closing in. Last week he avoided disaster by connecting with a receiver on a left-handed throw while getting taken down in the end zone.
Simply put, with the Broncos and Vikings on deck after this week's bye, it's way too soon to bail on Love.
For the Raiders, Josh Jacobs had another big day, making me look foolish for the second consecutive week. I actually like him in this one, with the Packers D yielding 5.0 YPC and Jaire Alexander (and at least one safety) smothering Davante Adams. Volume and health are key for Jacobs. I still maintain that he'll disappoint on the season. After collecting 393 touches last year, he's on pace for 357, thanks to 50 touches in the last eight days. Don't get lulled into a sense of comfort with Jacobs and his insane 102-target pace.
Conversely, no worries about Adams, who never had much of a chance against his former team. The Packers made sure he didn't beat them. They lost anyway. Adams (and Jakobi Meyers) form the Raiders' best 1-2 WR punch since vintage Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree. And it's fair to say that Adams-Meyers are the best 1-2 WR punch in this franchise's history, though the 2002 Raiders might disagree. That was the last time they went to the Super Bowl, led through the air by 40-year-old Jerry Rice and 36-year-old Tim Brown. They don't make 'em like that anymore.