There are many connections between the Green Bay Packers and the Las Vegas Raiders. The two teams meet on Monday night in Sin City but for many players, there will be more on the line because of their relationship with their opponents. Here is a look at the connections between the Packers and the Raiders on Monday night:

Packers and Raiders Connections: Number On Anders Carlson’s Brother Daniel

The Carlson brothers are both NFL kickers and they will go head-to-head on Monday night. Rookie Anders Carlson has gotten off to a good start for the Packers this season. After a shaky preseason, Anders is 5-for-5 on field goals and 9-for-9 on extra points. His long kick was a 52-yard effort, and he booted the winning extra point in the Packers comeback win over the Saints.

Daniel started his NFL career with the Vikings in 2018 but was let go after missing some key kicks against the Packers at Lambeau Field. He’s been with the Raiders since they signed him in 2018 and earned All Pro honors last season. This year, Daniel is also off to a perfect start after hitting all four field goals and six PATs.

Daniel explained what the game means for the brothers who will face each other in the NFL for the first time. “There’s going to be a balance of, ‘Hey, I got a game to get ready for,’ but I want to be conscious of taking some moments out and appreciating, hey, we’ve both worked really hard,” he said. “This has been our dream for a while. To see it come to fruition and get to play against each other is really special.”

Packers and Raiders Connections: Number Two DB Keisean Nixon

Packers defensive back and return specialist Keisean Nixon will be facing his former team for the first time since joining the Packers.

The former South Carolina star played three seasons for the Raiders before joining the Packers in 2022. Nixon was a special teams ace during his time with the Raiders but was not used as a punt returner and returned a total of just six kicks over three seasons.

On defense, Nixon started only two games for the Raiders and never played more than 15 percent of the team’s defensive snaps.

Since joining Green Bay, Nixon has become the team’s starting slot corner this season. He is also the Packers primary kick returner and earned All Pro honors as a return specialist in 2022. He led the NFL with 1,009 kick return yards last year. Nixon also recorded his first career NFL interception.

Nixon surely wants to prove the Raiders made a mistake by not giving him more playing time and for letting him go after the 2021 season.

Packers and Raiders Connections: Number Three DB Dallin Leavitt

Special teams ace Dallin Leavitt is another Packers player with connections to the Raiders. The Utah State alum spent four seasons with the Raiders organization, two in Oakland and two in Las Vegas. He started only one game on defense in those four years but became a core special teams player for the Raiders.

Since joining the Packers in 2022, Leavitt has maintained his role as a special teams ace. He has played five snaps on defense this season after taking none a year ago.

Like Nixon, Leavitt was recruited to Green Bay by special teams coordinator, Rich Bisaccia.

Packers and Raiders Connections: Number Four Special Teams Coordinator Rich Bisaccia

Bisaccia spent four seasons as the Raiders special teams coach. He also served as the interim head coach in 2021 after Jon Gruden was fired. Bisaccia went 7-5 as head coach but was not retained by the Raiders. He joined the Pack in 2022 to help turn around the team’s moribund special teams units. He was promoted to assistant head coach this season.

Bisaccia worked with Daniel Carlson and helped him gain the confidence that made him successful after a rocky start. He also recruited Leavitt and Nixon to help improve the Packers special teams units.

Bisaccia certainly wants to send a message to the Raiders that they made a mistake in letting him go. Look for Green Bay special teams to pull out all the stops on Monday night.

Packers and Raiders Connections Number Five Davante Adams

The big Green Bay connection on the Raiders roster is wide receiver Davante Adams. The Packers selected Adams in the second round of the 2014 NFL Draft.

Adams endured a shaky start but earned his first Pro Bowl berth in 2017. He made five straight Pro Bowls with the Packers and three All Pro honors. He and Aaron Rodgers had outstanding chemistry and were one of the most dangerous duos in football.

Adams set the Packers record for catches in a season with 123 in 2021. He presently stands second all-time in catches in Packers history with 669, fourth in yards with 8,121, and second in touchdown catches with 73.

After the Packers placed the franchise tag on Adams after the 2021 season, he told the team he would not sign with the team and was traded to the Raiders.

Adams caught 100 passes in his first season in Las Vegas for 1,516 yards and a league-leading 14 touchdown catches. He was named to the Pro Bowl and All Pro teams and proved he was still an elite receiver without Rodgers.

This will be the first time Adams is facing the Packers since the trade. He will likely have a friendly rivalry/matchup with Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander.

 

 

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