Tag: Raiders vs. Jaguars

Raiders winners and losers in 27-20 defeat vs. Jaguars

Raiders winners and losers in 27-20 defeat vs. Jaguars

The Raiders played yet another wildly inconsistent game on Sunday against the Jaguars, losing 27-20 after holding an early 17-0 lead. It was the third time Las Vegas squandered an advantage of 17-plus points this season.

Quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Davante Adams were on fire to start the game, as Adams amassed 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first half. But incredibly, those were Adams’ totals for the game. He had just one catch for zero yards the rest of the way.

Sprinkle in some bad defense for the road team, and the Raiders lost another head-scratcher. Here are the winners and losers for the week, as Las Vegas falls to 2-6 on the season.

Winner: K Daniel Carlson

Kicker Daniel Carlson did all he could to help the Raiders win, hitting two field goals and both of his extra points. Carlson has now made 41 straight field goals and is close to the NFL record for consecutive makes, which stands at 44 and is held by Raiders nemesis Adam Vinatieri.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Carlson’s second field goal late in the first half came after Las Vegas wasted a golden opportunity for a touchdown when Carr underthrew running back Ameer Abdullah in the end zone.

Winner: DE Maxx Crosby

The Raiders defense started hot, too, and defensive end Maxx Crosby led the way. He had an early fumble recovery on a botched toss play by the Jaguars, and the turnover led to a Carr-to-Adams touchdown.

Soon thereafter, Crosby had a tackle for loss on a similar play from Jacksonville. Overall, however, the Raiders defense was overwhelmed yet again as the Jaguars got rolling. On the day, Las Vegas recorded zero QB sacks and allowed 109 rushing yards to RB Travis Etienne Jr.

But they also gave the Raiders’ high-powered (at times) offense an opportunity to rally late in the game, making multiple stops and lucking out on a missed Jacksonville field goal.

Winner: Davante Adams

Deciding where to place Davante Adams is a tough call this week, but I’ve got him on the winner list. After being held to just one catch last week, he reminded everyone he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL with his monster first half.

And though he did drop at least one catch late in the game, it seems clear to me that Adams wasn’t the problem regarding his poor second-half production against the Jaguars. Adams is as talented as they come in the NFL, and he proved he can get the job done when the offense is in synch.

Loser: QB Derek Carr and coach Josh McDaniels

As you can probably guess, I blame Carr and coach Josh McDaniels for the offense falling apart in the second half, not Adams.

Between the two, it appeared that Carr was the more responsible. But McDaniels is running the show and his offense got shut out after the break, as Carr could muster just 33 passing yards down the stretch.

Carr was just 1-for-8 when targeting Adams after halftime. He missed pass after pass to his star wideout, including at least four missed connections on the Raiders’ last two dries of the day.

As I said, Adams had at least one drop late. But to me, it’s clear Adams isn’t the issue. It’s up to McDaniels and Carr to make Adams’ talent work for the Raiders for four quarters, not just during spectacular portions of the game.

Loser: DC Patrick Graham

I’ll leave this entry somewhat short. Raiders fans had to watch Crosby in coverage against the Jaguars, and really, that’s all you have to say about the defense. Crosby “allowed” a reception to WR Christian Kirk in the second half, good for a first down.

But we all know who really allowed that to happen, and that’s defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Making matters worse, the Jaguars notched their go-ahead touchdown shortly after Kirk’s catch.

Loser: RB Ameer Abdullah

Sometimes when you land on the loser list, it’s not ever your fault. Such is the case today with Abdullah.

It seems that every time McDaniels brings him into the game, Abdullah is the target of an ineffective dump-off pass that doesn’t help Las Vegas at all. By no real fault of his own, he’s become a bit of a symbol for McDaniels’ ineptitude thus far.

And even when he gets open in the end zone, Carr misses him with an underthrow. Additionally, that play was the start of the Raiders’ unraveling in this ballgame. The Jaguars were able to score a field goal on the ensuing possession and pull to within 10 points before the break, knowing they would get the ball to start the second half.

Loser: S Tre’von Moehrig

The Jaguars took the ball to start the second half and marched down the field, scoring on a touchdown catch from Kirk. Unfortunately for Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig, he was left one-on-one with Kirk due to a blitz and was beaten badly.

Once again, that’s ultimately on Graham. But Moehrig takes this “L.” Unlike Crosby, it’s Moehrig’s job to cover, and he wasn’t even close on this play that helped turn the tide early in the second half.

The Raiders season is now officially off the rails. A team many picked as a contender is now 2-6, thanks to wildly inconsistent play. Coach Josh McDaniels is under immense pressure for a first-year coach, given the expectations.

The new regime will likely repeat their latest company line and say that building a winning team takes time, but it’s clear the plan was to win now, taking the trade for Adams into account, not to mention signing DE Chandler Jones to a hefty deal that hasn’t panned out at all.

Ultimately, if the Raiders were more consistent, they’d be in the hunt for the playoffs. Their multiple blown leads amount to a loss for everyone in the organization and to those that devote their time and resources to follow the team as well. Still, they’ll see if they can notch a win for Raiders fans next week at home against the Colts.

Raiders botch last chance in Oakland with this week’s drive of the game

The Raiders exited their last game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum to a chorus of boos because of failure on this second-half drive.

The Raiders collapsed in the second half against the Jaguars on Sunday in the franchise’s last game in its historic home, the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum.

The result was a 20-16 loss and a final curtain call to a chorus of boos from the home crowd. There were plenty of disastrous drives in the game to choose from for this week’s offensive series of note, given the Raiders failed to score any points in the third or fourth quarter.

But special recognition goes out to Oakland’s second to last drive of the contest. The Raiders had their chance to ice the game, up 16-13, but they failed in epic fashion.

The Jaguars had just marched down the field for a touchdown, and Oakland took the ball at its own 30-yard line with just over five minutes left to play. Five consecutive carries by running back Josh Jacobs put the Raiders at Jacksonville’s 43-yard line. The Jaguars called their second timeout, and a 2nd-and-9 play awaited.

Carr scrambled for 12 yards and slid before he went out of bounds to keep the clock running. Though he appeared well inbounds, the officials stopped the clock, just before the 2-minute warning. Coach Jon Gruden tried to challenge the play, but that scenario is not reviewable.

Not only did the clock stop, but the Raiders were also called for delay of game for Carr’s celebration after what he figured was a big play. Oakland lost a timeout temporarily, as well, before the officials decided to give it back.

The play saved the Jaguars their own valuable timeout. A short Jacobs carry brought the 2-minute warning, and after another modest Jacobs run, the Jaguars used their last clock stoppage. On 3rd-and-11, Carr fired over the middle to wide receiver Tyrell Williams, who dropped the ball. Though he was not at the marker, Williams would have come close to a first down and kept the clock moving.

A catch would have also made kicker Daniel Carlson’s field goal try easier. He missed, even after a penalty by Jacksonville gave him a second attempt after missing initially.

At the end of it all, the Jaguars had 1:44 to drive for a tieing FG or score a touchdown to surge ahead. They accomplished the latter, and the Raiders left the field in shame after a last-ditch hail mary pass failed.

The Raiders caught a bad break on Carr’s scramble, but they still had an opportunity to seal a win in this historic game. Instead, they lost their composure and came up short.

The offense was horrific, deserving every bit of blame in losing this one and inspiring many in the home crowd to boo their beloved Raiders as the franchise walks out the door.

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5 Raiders to watch against the Jaguars

It’s the last Raiders game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum and the home team will do all it can to send its loyal fans home happy.

Much has transpired during the Raiders’ 2019 season: Hard Knocks and the Antonio Brown fiasco, unforeseen roster turnover, blowout losses, winning streaks, record-breaking rookies, an NBA-length road trip, injuries, agony, and triumph.

But this week, none of that matters. It’s the Raiders’ last game at the storied Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum, and unlike the previous time the club left, they won’t be coming back. The home team must put on a performance to remember.

Luckily, the Raiders’ opponent, the Jacksonville Jaguars, come into The Coliseum limping, and Oakland is favored. Still, it will take an impressive effort from Jon Gruden’s bunch to reverse their own slide down the standings.

Here are the players to watch as the Raiders say goodbye to the venerable stadium and look to send their loyal fans home happy.

DB Daryl Worley

Cary Edmondson-USA TODAY Sports

The Raiders defense simply must play better than they did last week, after allowing the Titans to rack up 500 yards of offense before the fourth quarter even started. The day after the game, coach Gruden said there will be changes on that side of the ball.

For starters, Oakland released safety D.J. Swearinger, who had been with the club just a few weeks. In a related development, cornerback Daryl Worley is expected to log some time at the back end of the defense to make up for Swearinger’s absence.

Worley is a favorite of Gruden’s, due to his willingness to tackle. That will serve him well at safety. Plus, he’ll have plenty of motivation after allowing a 91-yard touchdown reception against the Titans. Watch to see if Worley can bounce back at a new position and help the defense regain its composure.

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