MONDAY NIGHT FOOTBALL WEEK 8: LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DETROIT LIONS

BY ADAM GREENE

I can understand why an NFL scheduler would look at the 2023-24 Detroit Lions and determine they deserved a Prime Time matchup. As for the Las Vegas Raiders? Do they not have access to Google? Regardless, we can’t flex out of this one so you, me, Troy Aikman and Joe Buck are all stuck when the Raiders make the trip northeast to take on the Lions on Monday Night Football.

This will only be the 14^th overall matchup between the two teams dating all the way back to the 1970 NFL-AFL merger. Las Vegas leads the series 7-6, thanks to winning the last meeting on Nov. 3, 2019, 31-24. In the win, Derek Carr (now with the New Orleans Saints) was 20 of 31 passing for 289 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. Josh Jacobs rushed 28 times for 120 yards and two scores. Hunter Renfrow caught six passes for 54 yards and a TD.

In the loss, Matthew Stafford (now with the Los Angeles Rams) was 26 of 41 for 406 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. Marvin Jones caught eight passes for 126 yards and a TD. Kenny Golladay hauled in four receptions for 132 yards and a score.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS AT DETROIT LIONS (-8, O/U: 46)

Location: Ford Field, Detroit, Mich.

Broadcast: ABC/ESPN

Kickoff: Oct. 30, 8:15 p.m.

LAS VEGAS RAIDERS (3-4)

I hope you are sitting down when you read this because the Raiders, coached by Josh McDaniels, are coming off the worst loss for any team or head coach this season. No this isn’t a repeat of last year when McDaniels led his squad to defeat against the Indianapolis Colts coached by interim head coach Jeff Saturday, who had never coached a down at the professional level. Nor is it a repeat from last season when McDaniel crafted the perfect losing gameplan against the Los Angele Rams, devastated by injuries, playing Baker Mayfield just two days after he joined the team. No. This was worse than that. McDaniels’ Raiders were blown out by the Chicago Bears, led by rookie NCAA Division II quarterback Tyson Bagent, 30-12. You want to think every loss like that is a low point for McDaniels, but he just holds up a shovel and exclaims that he can go lower. Brian Hoyer was 17 of 32 passing for 129 yards, no touchdowns and two picks in the loss. He was sacked once. Jakobi Meyers caught seven passes for 50 yards and a score.

DETROIT LIONS (5-2)

While Dan Campbell can’t compare to Josh McDaniels’ level of coaching ineptitude, he still came up very short in a 38-3 blowout loss to the Baltimore Ravens last week. Jared Goff was 33 of 53 passing for 284 yards, no touchdowns and a pick in the defeat. Jahmyr Gibbs rushed 11 times for 68 yards and a score. Amon-Ra St. Brown caught 13 passes for 102 yards. The defense never laid a finger on Lamar Jackson and allowed him to pass for 357 yards.

THE PICK

While both teams are coming off bad losses, only one of those was earned. The coaching matchup between Dan Campbell and Josh McDaniels should be significantly one-sided and I expect the Lions to bounce back in this one. Vegas, well, it might be time to start coach shopping again. Lions 38, Raiders 19

Last week

Straight up: 7-6

Against the spread: 5-8

Season

Straight up: 64-42

Against the spread: 55-51

Follow Adam Greene on Twitter @TheFirstMan.

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