Tag: Raiders winners and losers vs Jaguars

Raiders winners and losers in 19-14 victory vs. Jaguars

The Raiders put an end to their 10-game losing streak with their first win since September. Who came out of the game better or worse.

Finally, the Raiders can smile on Sunday. They beat the Jaguars 19-14 at Allegiant Stadium to snap their 10-game losing streak and taste victory for the first time since September.

The Jaguars (3-12) were driving for a potential go-ahead score until safety Tre’von Moehrig tackled Jacksonville running back D’Ernest Johnson short of the sticks on a 4th-and-11 play. It completed a gritty effort from Las Vegas. The team showed its muster after falling behind 7-0 in the first quarter and 14-13 late in the third.

Here are the Raiders winners and losers after Las Vegas hurt its position in the NFL Draft but played hard for coach Antonio Pierce, improving to 3-12 on the season.

Winner: HC Antonio Pierce

Pierce has been the last entry in the column many times over his team’s losing streak, so he starts the winner list this week. He likely needed a win to avoid being fired at the end of the season, and this game provided a golden opportunity.

Given how poorly the Raiders have played this year, a victory against the Jaguars wasn’t a given. His team played with spirit and didn’t lose hope when Jacksonville took a 14-13 lead on a 62-yard touchdown reception, or when the Jaguars had the football in hand with a chance for a game-winning drive.

Will it be enough to keep his job? Only team owner Mark Davis knows the answer. If the Raiders lost this game, however, Pierce might as well have started to pack his bags.

Winner: QB Aidan O’Connell

Starting Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell returned after missing a game with an injury and led an offense that was just good enough to get the job done.

O’Connell threw for 257 passing yards and displayed quality mobility all afternoon. He actually led the Raiders in rushing in the first half. But his masterpiece was a scramble and throw to running back Ameer Abdullah on third down after his squad had just fallen behind 14-13.

It appeared O’Connell would be sacked, but the drive continued and Abdullah finished it with a touchdown a couple of plays later.

O’Connell also had a timely 13-yard run as the Raiders drove for a touchdown by running back Alexander Mattison, which tied the score at seven points apiece.

Winner: RB Ameer Abdullah

Before Abdullah’s big drive in the fourth quarter, he had two quality punt returns that set up field goals by kicker Daniel Carlson. His go-ahead touchdown was a celebration for the entire offense, including guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, who got to spike the ball after Abdullah let him do the honors.

Winner: TE Brock Bowers

It was another blockbuster day for rookie sensation Brock Bowers. He hauled in 11 of his 13 targets for 99 yards and crossed 1,000 receiving yards on the season. He reached 1,000 yards on his first catch of the game, a 32-yard gain. He also surpassed 100 receptions.

Bowers is nearing the all-time receiving yards record for rookie tight ends, held by the legendary Mike Ditka. He’s also the first tight end in NFL history to have 100-plus catches and more than 1,000 receiving yards in his rookie campaign. Look for him to reach more milestones over the last two weeks of the season.

Winner: S Isaiah Pola-Mao

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao was on fire in the first half, registering seven tackles before the break. He also forced two fumbles on consecutive drives; the Raiders recovered each one. The second forced fumble stopped a promising Jaguars drive as the quarter wound down, preserving the Raiders’ 13-7 lead at halftime.

Winner: DE K’Lavon Chaisson 

A former first-round pick of the Jaguars, defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson had plenty of motivation on Sunday. He nearly had an interception early in the game and had a QB sack later in the afternoon. He probably wanted to make more plays, but he reminded the Jaguars that they may have made a mistake letting him walk out the door. He added some QB pressures, a tackle for loss, and a QB hit for good measure.

Loser: LB Amari Gainer

The Raiders fell behind 7-0 after a quality Jaguars punt return, followed by a Las Vegas penalty, gave Jacksonville great field position. Linebacker Amari Gainer was called for a late hit and the Jaguars started their touchdown drive at the Raiders 29-yard line.

Loser: CB Jack Jones

After cornerback Jack Jones forgot to cover Jaguars wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. and allowed a 62-yard touchdown, the Raiders could have folded. They had Jones’ back and fought for the win, but the game was looking like another potential loss after Jones’ busted coverage gave the Jaguars a 14-13 lead heading to the fourth quarter.

Loser: G Dylan Parham

Guard Dylan Parham had a penalty and allowed a QB sack on the Raiders’ first drive of the game, doing his part to ruin a nice start on offense for Las Vegas, highlighted by Bowers’ 32-yard grab. The entire offensive line has to reduce their penalties, however. There were again too many infractions from that group, pre-snap and after the snap, too.

This win hurt the Raiders standing in the NFL Draft, but the players surely don’t care. There are few things in this world more fun than winning a football game, and these players finally earned that feeling once again.

Plus, the Raiders have two more opportunities to lose — oops, I mean win — this season, starting next week against the Saints in New Orleans.

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.