The Oakland Raiders may be content with their .500 preseason record, but the Green Bay Packers most certainly are not. Expectations are low for the silver and black this season, with Colin Cowherd, Herm Edwards and others at ESPN saying the Raiders will be the worst team in the NFL this season. Green Bay, on the other hand, has higher expectations with Aaron Rodgers and Eddie Lacy poised to be strong. So while records mean little headed into tonight’s 8pm Raiders / Packers game, one team has nothing to lose and the other has everything to gain. Tonight’s Packers game is being broadcast live on CBS, but if you’re not near a TV you can watch Raiders vs Packers live online preseason game using various tools and websites.
The Raiders ended the 2013-14 season with the 7th-ranked passing game behind quarterbacks Terrelle Pryor and Matt McGloin. Pryor had a solid first four weeks of the season, completing 68.1% of his passes for 845 yards, four touchdowns, two interceptions and a 97.6 passer rating. Yet after suffering a knee injury Pryor was traded in April to the Seattle Seahawks and put their trust in free-agent QB Matt Schaub.
So far that doesn’t look like the best move. Last Friday against the Detroit Lions Schaub completed 8 of 13 passes for 87 yards and an interception. The middling performance followed an equally uninspired effort in the Raiders’ Week 1 preseason game. With rookie QB Derek Carr sitting out of tonight’s Packers game, Schaub will have plenty of reps to break out of the funk.
The Green Bay Packers, on the other hand, know what they’re getting at the quarterback position. Aaron Rodgers is predicted to get some extended playing time in tonight’s Packers game, as last week’s game against the St. Louis Rams marked his first preseason action.
Last week Rodgers played only two series but still managed to put up 10 points on an 11-of-13 performance that delivered 128 yards and a touchdown. Considering he’s unlikely to play in the Packers’ preseason finale next week against Kansas City, tonight’s Raiders game will be his last chance for in-game action before the regular season begins.
Green Bay running back Eddie Lacy will also see extended minutes tonight. The second-year starter enters the season with sky-high expectations and a No. 60 position on ESPN’s NFLRank project.
Lacy last season carried the ball 284 times for 1,178 yards and 11 touchdowns, the only rookie with more than 1,000 rushing yards and at least 10 touchdowns. According to ESPN Stats & Information, he also had the fourth-most yards after contact in the NFL last season.
So on one side of Lambeau Field tonight are the Oakland Raiders, a team nobody expects to perform well this year and therefore with nothing to lose. As a result they’ll likely give their starters some extended minutes. On the other side are the Green Bay Packers, a team looking to give its starters one last good tune-up tonight before giving the bulk of the minutes to their reserves next weekend.
With starters on both sides playing extended minutes tonight, it’s no wonder CBS picked-up tonight’s Raiders / Packers game and will televise it nationwide.
Kickoff for tonight’s Raiders / Packers game at Lambeau Field is set for 8pm EST. If you’re not near a TV to see it on CBS you can live stream tonight’s Raiders vs Packers game using the NFL Preseason Live service. That service lets fans watch all out-of-market preseason NFL games for $19.99. NFL Network subscribers can also watch tonight’s week 3 preseason game on the NFL Online website using the login info for their satellite or cable TV provider.