After a Philadelphia fan disrespected the Terrible Towel, the Eagles were plagued by misfortune, reinforcing the Steelers’ infamous curse.
When will opposing teams’ fans learn to respect one rule about the Pittsburgh Steelers: never disrespect the Terrible Towel. For those who fail to heed this warning, a dreaded curse awaits.
The Terrible Towel curse struck down the now 3-12 Jacksonville Jaguars for over a season after S Andrew Wingard disrespected the tradition back in Week 8 of 2023.
Another curse is on the way, as footage from the Steelers-Eagles Week 15 contest showed a Philadelphia fan throwing a Steelers fan’s Terrible Towel out of the stadium.
The Curse of the Terrible Towel lives on. F with it at your own peril. Eagles fan paid the price. Hurts got hurt. Kenny had to play. And they lost. A cautionary tale for Steelers haters. pic.twitter.com/ERiju7HnIU
Following the incident, a series of misfortunes plagued the Eagles in Week 16. Not only did Eagles QB Jalen Hurts suffer a concussion and get ruled out—forcing the atrociously inconsistent backup QB Kenny Pickett to take his place—but the team also blew a 27-14 lead over the Commanders in the fourth quarter.
The Eagles had a chance to seal the game, but WR DeVonta Smith had one of the worst drops fans had ever seen—with two minutes remaining on third down.
The Washington Commanders scored a last-minute TD with less than 10 seconds remaining, further proving the age-old Pittsburgh adage: don’t mess with the Terrible Towel.
Jaguars LT Walker Little ruled out vs. Titans in Week 17
Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson on Monday said starting left tackle Walker Little will “probably” miss Jacksonville’s Week 17 home matchup with the Tennessee Titans after suffering a high-ankle sprain in the club’s 19-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Little exited the game on Jacksonville’s first offensive possession. He entered the matchup with an ankle injury that he suffered against the New York Jets but was able to play through.
“Walker looks like he’s going to miss this week. High ankle, so he’ll probably be out,” Pederson said.
Little took over as Jacksonville’s starting left tackle in Week 8 and signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension with the club on Dec. 1. Since his second-round, No. 45 overall selection by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL draft, Little has made 55 appearances and 25 starts.
Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. (7) celebrates with wide receiver Parker Washington (11) after scoring a touchdown against the Las Vegas Raiders during the third quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images
OG Brandon Scherff: 67 (100%)
OG Ezra Cleveland: 67 (100%)
QB Mac Jones: 67 (100%)
C Mitch Morse: 67 (100%)
OT Anton Harrison: 66 (99%)
WR Parker Washington: 64 (94%)
OT Cole Van Lanen: 62 (93%)
WR Brian Thomas Jr.: 60 (90%)
RB Travis Etienne Jr.: 35 (52%)
TE Brenton Strange: 34 (51%)
TE Luke Farrell: 32 (48%)
WR Josh Reynolds: 29 (43%)
WR Devin Duvernay: 21 (31%)
RB Tank Bigsby: 19 (28%)
TE Josiah Deguara: 17 (25%)
RB D’Ernest Johnson: 13 (19%)
OG Blake Hance: 7 (10%)
WR Tim Jones: 6 (9%)
OT Walker Little: 5 (7%)
Jaguars defense
Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (8) scores on a 7-yard touchdown run in the second half against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
CB Montaric Brown: 73 (99%)
S Andre Cisco: 71 (96%)
LB Foyesade Oluokun: 69 (93%)
CB Tyson Campbell: 67 (91%)
S Andrew Wingard: 63 (85%)
LB Devin Lloyd: 60 (81%)
CB Jarrian Jones: 60 (81%)
DE Travon Walker: 56 (76%)
DE Josh Hines-Allen: 49 (66%)
DT Maason Smith: 39 (53%)
DT DaVon Hamilton: 35 (47%)
DT Jeremiah Ledbetter: 33 (45%)
DT Tyler Lacy: 33 (45%)
DE Arik Armstead: 31 (42%)
DE Myles Cole: 24 (32%)
S Antonio Johnson: 17 (23%)
S Darnell Savage Jr.: 12 (16%)
LB Ventrell Miller: 10 (14%)
CB De’Antre Prince: 6 (8%)
LB Chad Muma: 5 (7%)
S Daniel Thomas: 1 (1%)
Jaguars special teams
LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – DECEMBER 22: Josh Hines-Allen #41 and Andrew Wingard #42 of the Jacksonville Jaguars leave the field after losing to the Las Vegas Raiders 14-19 at Allegiant Stadium on December 22, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images)
Everything Doug Pederson said after Jaguars’ 19-14 loss to Raiders
The Jaguars’ dreadful 2024 season took another turn for the worse in Week 16 when Jacksonville fell to the Las Vegas Raiders — who entered the contest as the worst team in the NFL as reflected in the Week 15 2025 NFL draft order — 19-14.
Find everything Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said after Jacksonville’s latest loss below.
On if Pederson is frustrated by the Jaguars’ effort level and mistakes at inopportune times:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, you kind of summed it up. You’re right, it’s not for the lack of effort, physicality, all that. Those guys do play hard. But the mistakes, penalties, things that just held us back all season. I think as coaches, players, it’s the frustrating part. Until we get that corrected, obviously there’s going to be a lot of long days. We’ve got to get it fixed.”
On if there is self-doubt that affects the Jaguars’ ability to win close games:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I’m sure there’s some. I’m sure when a bad play happens or a penalty and it sets you back a little bit, I think maybe there’s a little bit – where we are in our season, I’m sure that creeps in. Guys are human. They’re going to feel that. They’re going to feel that emotion. But it’s mental toughness. It’s the grind. It’s the grit, determination. And the guys show it, and they have shown it, but we just haven’t been able to overcome some of the setbacks.”
On if it’s hard to focus at this time of year:
DOUG PEDERSON: “What do you mean by ‘this time of year’?”
On if it’s hard to focus at this point in a losing season:
DOUG PEDERSON: “I’m sure there’s some of that. I’m sure, again, you’re human and things haven’t gone our way this season. And disappointing as that is, you’re going to feel that emotion. It’s just something that, I think, everybody handles it a little bit differently. But it’s that mental toughness we talk about, having that. And just trying to flush a negative play. Trying your best you can to move on from bad plays, mistakes, whatever it is. Trying to move on to the next play.”
On if Pederson can enjoy rookie WR Brian Thomas Jr.’s successes despite the Jaguars’ record:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, I’m so happy for Brian. We talked last week. He’s such a bright spot offensively and gives a thousand-plus yards and all of that. Just a kid that is so deserving of it, from the way he works to how he plays. And the load that we put on him, for a young player like that, to go out and perform like he does. So happy for him, definitely a bright spot.”
On if Pederson has ever seen an easier touchdown play on Thomas Jr.’s 62-yard receiving touchdown:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Probably busted coverage, looked like. And we needed a play, because I think B.T. [Brian Thomas Jr.] dropped one earlier. And then we come back to him again on the same type of thing and he makes the play. So, it’s the type of kid he is. But it’s never an easy play, but we got help on that one.”
On how difficult managing the pre-snap was:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Those are the inconsistencies. I would say that [Raiders Head Coach] Coach [Antonio] Pierce is probably saying the same thing with his team. But where we are as a football team and the type of year we’ve had, we just can’t make those types of mistakes and expect to win. That probably goes without saying. It’s hard to overcome and try to flush it and move on, I guess.”
On the Jaguars’ lack of takeaways in the last five games:
DOUG PEDERSON: “We had opportunities again today. A couple of balls were tipped and had chances, and that’s part of it too, creating the takeaways. And we had two huge costly turnovers. But again, it’s not for lack of effort and all that. But it’s an area that just we’ve got to keep working, keep working during the week at it. You’ve got to keep making an emphasis in game. You could see our guys punching the football, things of that nature. It’s just not bouncing our way.”
On if Pederson was surprised by P Logan Cooke’s shanked punt:
DOUG PEDERSON: “Yeah, that one surprised me. I know he definitely would want that one back. But obviously, we know Logan [Cooke] is a great punter, just uncharacteristic of him and his ability, but definitely a punt he’d like to have back.”
Mark Davis also wanted a Raiders’ win much more than perfect draft positioning.
By winning 19-14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday, the Las Vegas Raiders may have ruined their chance at a top quarterback in the upcoming NFL Draft. According to Tankathon, the victory and other results from Sunday officially dropped the Raiders from No. 1 overall to No. 6.
But it doesn’t appear anyone in the organization cares all that much about the long-term consequences. The lowly Raiders, who hadn’t won a game since late September and were on a 10-game losing streak coming in, just wanted to finish with more points than the other team for once.
That includes owner Mark Davis.
According to The Athletic’s Tashan Reed, Davis was seen hyping up kicker Daniel Carlson and punter AJ Cole in the postgame locker room while the Raiders finally celebrated a victory. When you note that Davis also encouraged each Raiders player as they left the locker room, it makes it pretty apparent the person with the most power in the organization didn’t want to think about what this might mean for Las Vegas’ draft position:
#Raiders owner Mark Davis was in the locker room clapping and talking to Daniel Carlson and AJ Cole when the locker room opened to the media. Some other players were dancing. Davis was in a good mood. Doesn't seem to care about the draft order ramifications of the win over JAX.
The win Sunday was very consequential to how the Raiders might move forward. At this point, even in a draft that doesn’t have a supposed “generational” quarterback prospect, if they want someone like Shedeur Sanders or Cam Ward, they may have to trade up. Those kinds of quarterback trades often prove quite costly for teams trying to find their hopeful franchise player under center.
But it’s worth remembering that people affiliated with the organization — especially players — don’t necessarily think about draft position the way fans from the outside looking in do. They truly just want to win because they’re never guaranteed a hypothetical tomorrow centered around draft assets that may or may not work out. Succeeding on every individual gameday means a lot more than securing a chance at drafting young players who may never even share a field with you.
The Raiders’ win could potentially muddle many of their near-future plans, but they don’t care. And rightly so.
Raiders snap 10-game losing streak by beating Jaguars 19-14
The Raiders (3-12) snapped a 10-game losing streak by beating the Jaguars (3-12) 19-14 on Sunday, sending shockwaves across the projected 2025 NFL draft order to conclude a matchup between teams eliminated from postseason contention weeks ago.
Formerly holding the No. 1 pick through Week 15, Las Vegas fell to No. 6 in the current order by defeating Jacksonville, per Tankathon. The Jaguars inched up one spot, from No. 4 to 3, as a result of the defeat and a loss by the New England Patriots (3-12), who are in the No. 2 slot at press time.
Another pair of Jaguars starters, right tackle Anton Harrison (shoulder) and cornerback Tyson Campbell (shoulder), also suffered injuries but were able to finish the contest.
Jacksonville struggled to get anything going offensively in the first half outside of a first-quarter touchdown drive that began at Las Vegas’ 29-yard line, created by a 26-yard punt return by Jaguars wide receiver Devin Duvernay paired with an unnecessary roughness penalty by the Raiders. Running back Tank Bigsby punched in the score from the one-yard line.
The Jaguars punted four times and saw consecutive drives end in fumbles in the first half, otherwise, with Bigsby losing the ball to end a 10-yard carry and tight end Brenton Strange muffing to conclude a nine-yard catch.
The Raiders could not capitalize on either turnover, however, which limited Las Vegas’ lead to 13-7 at halftime, generated by an Alexander Mattison one-yard rushing touchdown and two Daniel Carlson field goals.
After a nearly 18-minute scoreless stretch of the matchup, in which the teams combined for seven accepted penalties, Jacksonville briefly found life with quarterback Mac Jones finding a wide-open Brian Thomas Jr. for a 62-yard touchdown, the biggest highlight of another franchise record-setting day for the rookie wide receiver.
But the Raiders responded immediately with a 10-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, capped off by a seven-yard Ameer Abdullah rushing score after quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed four passes in a row for 47 yards in the fourth quarter.
Las Vegas failed a two-point conversion attempt after Abdullah’s touchdown, but Jacksonville could not find another offensive spark to reclaim the lead. The Jaguars went three plays for six yards on their penultimate drive and turned the ball over on downs on their final possession, an eight-play, 39-yard series that ended in their own territory.
Jacksonville will hold its final home game of the 2024 season in Week 17 with the Jaguars set to host the Tennessee Titans (3-12) at EverBank Stadium on Sunday.
The Raiders won the game, but in the battle for the top pick, this “win” could loom large.
It’s an odd position to be in. Knowing that each positive play by the Raiders bring them closer to…losing the top pick in the draft.
Obviously these players have no quit in them. Neither do the coaches. They care about winning their individual rep, each drive, and coming out with a W.
But for the franchise, getting a quarterback of the future is a top priority. Or I should say THE top priority.
So, when they take the field against a team like the Jaguars, with a 3-11 record, it’s in the franchise’s best interest to come out on the losing side.
They didn’t do that Sunday in Las Vegas. In a rough game to watch between two really bad teams, it was the Jaguars who out-terribled the Raiders.
They had two fumbles in the first half alone, both recovered by the Raiders. And one after they had moved into scoring range. The result was a 13-7 Raiders lead at the half.
How bad was it? How much were each team trying to hand it to the other team?
Well, the Raiders didn’t convert a third down until midway through the third quarter. And yet still somehow had a six-point lead.
The two teams would swap touchdowns in the third and fourth quarter, but the Raiders went for two and missed to make it a five-point Raiders lead at 19-14.
The morning slate saw three of the five teams the Raiders will content with for a top pick lose their games With the fourth (Partiots) facing the 11-3 Bills in the afternoon.
That means the win drops them from contention for the top pick to outside the top five. And for a team desperate for one of the top QB’s in this draft, that’s just not good enough.
There are still three games left in the season, but this win over a bad team makes it an uphill climb to get in range of that top pick.
It came down to one drive for the Jaguars. With just over minute left, it looked for a moment like the Jaguars may holding penalty on 4th and one brought up 4th and 11. And the Jaguars couldn’t pick it up.
The Raiders kneeled out the clock and thus ended their ten-game losing streak with a 19-14 win over the Jagurs.
With the win, the Raiders improve to 3-12 on the season. Behind the 2-13 Giants and tied in the win column with four other teams, some of which have lower strength of schedule than they do.
Jaguars starters, offensive tackle Walker Little and safety Darnell Savage Jr., exited Jacksonville’s Week 16 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders after suffering injuries in the first half.
Little suffered an ankle injury on Jacksonville’s first offensive possession of the game. He entered the contest with a hurt ankle, which he experienced but played through against the New York Jets in Week 15.
Savage was taken to the locker room to be evaluated for a concussion during the second quarter.
Jacksonville considered both players questionable to return against Las Vegas at press time.
Little took over as Jacksonville’s starting left tackle in Week 8 and signed a three-year, $45 million contract extension with the club on Dec. 1. Since his second-round, No. 45 overall selection by the Jaguars in the 2021 NFL draft, Little has made 55 appearances and 25 starts.
Savage, who signed a three-year, $21.8 million free-agent contract with Jacksonville in March after five seasons with the Green Bay Packers, has logged 42 total tackles including two for loss, one interception and six defended passes in 11 games with the Jaguars.
Las Vegas led Jacksonville 13-7 late in the second quarter at press time.
Brian Thomas Jr. sets another Jaguars rookie record
Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. now holds Jacksonville’s rookie receiving records in each major category.
After setting the franchise rookie records for receiving yards and touchdowns against the New York Jets in Week 15, Thomas’ 16-yard catch against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday moved him into sole possession of Jacksonville’s rookie reception record.
Justin Blackmon set the previous record, 64 receptions, in 2012. Blackmon owned the Jaguars’ former rookie receiving yards record with 865; Allen Hurns set Jacksonville’s prior rookie receiving touchdown record with six in 2014.
At press time, Thomas, Jacksonville’s No. 23 overall selection in the first round of the 2024 NFL draft, has 65 receptions for 972 yards and eight touchdowns 15 games into his NFL career.
“I think Brian’s grown a lot,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said about Thomas on Monday. “I can remember back, right after the draft, you get him in here and start working with him and just watching that development, that growth to where he is today as a receiver, and one of the top young receivers in this league. Obviously, a big part of our offense and just a bright spot.
“It’s been encouraging to see his growth and what he’s capable of doing. Going back and watching him on film coming out of LSU to today, some of the same things, some of the explosiveness. We continue each week to load his plate up and give him more opportunities and really expand his route tree just a little bit more. Has been good, and he embraces it well.”
Jacksonville and Las Vegas were tied 7-7 in the second quarter at press time.
Brock Bowers came into today’s game needing 32 yards to reach 1000 yards. He got that on one play.
Brock Bowers came into today’s game with 968 yards receiving on the season. Which means he needed 32 yards to reach the 1000-yard mark. He got exactly that on his first play of the game.
And in true Brock Bowers fashion, most of that was on yards after the catch.
Bowers made the short catch on the first play for the Raiders offense and turned to see a whole lot of open field ahead of him. And he took all of it, running for 32 yards before being stopped at the Vegas 35-yard line.
It was Bowers’ 91st catch of the season. He already has several records. Hitting 1000 yards is more of a milestone than a record. But there is still the rest of this game and three more games after this one for him to break some more records.
