By CNN
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The Las Vegas Raiders used their dominant defense to propel themselves to a narrow 17-13 victory over the Green Bay Packers on Monday night and end their three-game losing streak.
The Raiders intercepted Packers quarterback Jordan Love three times – linebacker Robert Spillane with two and Amik Robertson with another – and sacked him twice at Allegiant Stadium, Las Vegas.
Las Vegas quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo threw a touchdown and running back Josh Jacobs ran for another as they were able to find just enough offense to claim an important victory.
However, it was defensive end Maxx Crosby who was the star performer, finishing the game with five tackles which included four for loss, four pressures, three run stops and a sack as he helped the Raiders to their first victory over the Packers since 1987.
“Consistency,” Raiders head coach Josh McDaniel told the media when asked what Crosby brings to the team, per the NFL. “Maxx does it every day with his effort, his work.
“How much he cares about every little detail relative to the football team, his teammates, his body, practice. He gives it everything he has every single time he’s out there, and never comes off the field, as you know. Tremendous leadership.”
The victory, the Raiders’ second of the season, ends a three-game losing streak in which the team has shown there is vast room for improvement, with glaring holes on both defense and offense. Garoppolo’s interception was his NFL-high seventh interception.
In previous weeks, it has been the performances of star wide receiver Davante Adams that have stood out, but this week it was the Raiders’ defense which rose to the challenge.
This was the Raiders’ second game this season in which they’ve held their opponent to less than 16 points. Spillane’s two interceptions meant he became the first Raiders linebacker to record two picks in the same game since 2001.
“For us, it’s just about being solution based and getting better every single time we go on the field,” Crosby said afterwards.
“It’s not about the panic, the stress. It’s like: ‘Alright, we’re going to do this together. We’re the only guys we got, we’re going to find a way and that’s what we’re banking on.’ Trusting each other, trusting the coaching staff and continuing to improve.
“We hear a lot of noise during the week. We hear it all the time. But at the end of the day, we’re out there and we’ve got to win.”
Meanwhile the Packers’ up-and-down season continues as it goes through a period of transition following the departure of long-time quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
Love, in his first season as an NFL starter, has showed flashes of promise, but the encounter with the Raiders is the second week in a row where he has looked scrambled and out of sorts.
He finished the game with just 182 passing yards, no touchdowns and those three interceptions. Running back AJ Dillon ran for Green Bay’s only touchdown of the evening.
It has already been signposted as a year of transition for the Packers with Love at the helm, and there is plenty of room to grow for the 24-year-old quarterback.
Green Bay, who slips to 2-3 on the season following its second straight loss, now goes on its bye week which will allow it to recalibrate and get some injured players back, most notably its star running back Aaron Jones.
“It’s a good break. I think we’ll just all come together and bounce back,” Love said afterwards. “That’s how it goes. It’s week to week, and we’ve got to find a way to bounce back. We didn’t this week, and now it’s on to next week.”
