Monday Night Football Week 5: Picks and predictions for Packers vs. Raiders

The Green Bay Packers opened week five as narrow favorites over the Las Vegas Raiders in the teams’ game scheduled for Monday Night Football. However, over the last several days, that line has shifted away from the Packers. Once favored by a point, the Packers are now 2.5-point underdogs on the road despite being set up to have most of their key players available.

Some of the swing may be due to the Raiders’ medical staff clearing Jimmy Garoppolo to play tonight. He was in the concussion protocol for most of the week, but was cleared over the weekend and is set to start. Likewise, Davante Adams is now expected to play after a shoulder injury kept him out of practice for most of the week.

The Packers, meanwhile, still have a handful of players listed as questionable for the game, including Jaire Alexander, Rudy Ford, and Aaron Jones. While Alexander and Ford are expected to suit up, Jones reportedly is in danger of missing another game. The dramatic shift in the point spread over the last few days is still somewhat surprising, but it is more easily explained by the Jones news on Monday afternoon.

Still, for those who like the Packers in this game regardless of Jones’ availability, that makes picking them against the spread that much more tantalizing, as they are now getting points instead of giving one up. Furthermore, the Raiders have yet to score 20 points in a single game, a surprising statistic for a team with a game-changing playmaker like Adams. Even though the Packers’ defense has struggled at times this season, tonight’s game could be a get-right game for that unit, which would give the Packers a great chance at a victory.

With all of those considerations out there, let’s get on to the picks from APC’s contributors.

APC Game Picks

Odds courtesy of DraftKings sportsbook.