Packers beat Raiders after clinching playoffs

For the 13th consecutive season, the Raiders will finish without a winning record.

Raiders coaches and players, including defensive end Khalil Mack (52), watch the closing minutes of a 30-20 loss to the Packers. “Right where we need to be”, coach Mike McCarthy said. In fact, their worst games have come at the Coliseum: the throttling by the Bengals to open the season, the beatdown by the Vikings and the come-from-ahead loss to the Chiefs. But a big return had the Packers drive starting at their own 47-yard-line.

“I believe in what we do and who I am”, Carr said.

Style points don’t get you into the win column. I’m sick of talking of the negativity that goes on here. They’ve amassed 15 sacks in those four games and are giving up just over 21 points per game. “We’re at 10 wins, and that’s what we came out here to do”.

Aaron Rodgers engineered a fourth-quarter drive that finished with a touchdown toss to Richard Rodgers, cementing a Packers’ 27-17 win over a Seattle Seahawks team that had given Rodgers and the Packers trouble in recent seasons. On the first, he rolled to his right but planted and set his feet before delivering his 29th touchdown pass. On the next, it was a classic drop and throw, this time for 26 yards, for his 30th touchdown pass.

The reason why that’s been the case is because the Raiders have had very little productive players. If the Raiders come out and play the kind of football we have seen them play this season, the kind of football that we know they’re capable of, they will have their chances against the Packers. We got in there and got hot and nobody could stop us.

“You always take a win in sports”.

The field was watered by mother nature all game long, which put the skids on a productive day for either offense, thought the Packers’ defense was the stalwart of the game.

“You can’t dig yourself into a hole early like that”, said Raiders free safety Charles Woodson after the game. The running game struggled so mightily in the first half that Randall Cobb became the primary rusher during their 92-yard drive in the 3rd and 4th quarters.

Rodgers completed 22 of 39 passes and was intercepted once, late in the fourth quarter.

McCarthy got irritated when he was asked whether his team was in position to be successful in the playoffs.

Still, the game never really escaped the Packers’ grasp. But they aren’t concerned with those problems right now. Poor play from the offensive line contributing to what was a hard day at the office for the second year quarterback.

“I am not sure what’s going to happen to the Raiders”, Rodgers said. “Put him out there, let him run deep”.

Rodgers outdueled his counterpart, the Raiders’ Derek Carr, not merely by making more plays but by avoiding the costly ones.

Raiders kicker Sebastian Janikowski connects on a 23-yard field goal to narrow Green Bay’s lead 14-3 with 14:53 left in the first half. But Jones was close to his best Sunday, catching six balls for 82 yards and scoring a crucial touchdown to give the Packers a second-half lead.

And Janis, who doesn’t get much playing time, failed his quarterback twice.

Clausen threw his first touchdown pass with the Ravens, a 1-yarder to Kyle Juszczyk, in the first quarter. That probably cost another four points. Carr relied upon tight ends Clive Walford and Mychal Rivera last week, and I expect a similar game plan this afternoon. Instead of attacking the floating pass and at minimum breaking it up, he waited for the ball, which gave cornerback David Amerson an easy interception.

That alone should get him on the field more.

Montgomery has missed eight games and keeps aggravating his ankle in practice, so it’s not clear whether he’ll be back at all. Adams and Cobb combined for 10 catches and just 72 yards. He’s also a receiver Rodgers trusts. Cooper has been battling a foot injury and despite wet conditions Sunday, he said he felt better and seemed to be moving around better. “He’s a good route runner”.