Welcome to Big Cat Country’s staff roundtable!
Today, we’re previewing Week 9’s matchup between the Jacksonville Jaguars and the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium.
What post-bye week question about
the Jaguars do you want to see answered on Sunday?
Dillon Appleman: Will the extra bye week prep time help iron out the offensive kinks? Things have been so clunky on offense this season, particularly in the passing game. The Jags’ pass catchers lead the league in drops (21), which ties directly into Trevor Lawrence’s 58.7% completion percentage. That ranks second to last in the NFL behind rookie Cam Ward. The Raiders’ defense is the perfect opportunity for a get-right game after the bye, as they are allowing nearly 26 points per game to opposing offenses and are towards the bottom of the league in takeaways as well.
Travis Holmes: With a litany of questions surrounding this team while heading into the bye, I’m curious how many of their current issues can reasonably be resolved through extra coaching, teaching, scheme adjustments, and such. With the Jaguars coming off their bye and major questions swirling surrounding the lack of screen game effectiveness, the offensive line play, struggles in the short and deep passing game, pressure on defense, and so much more, are answers truly on the way? Will the bye and getting healthier help any of these issues, or are these issues truly just roster limitations cloaked as production problems?
Gus Logue: What will Travis Hunter’s offensive deployment look like after the bye week? As Mike DiRocco wrote for ESPN, “Don’t be surprised if Hunter starts getting the WR1 treatment from the Jaguars in the season’s second half, and that’s partly due to his playmaking and run-after-the-catch ability, but also because Brian Thomas Jr hasn’t played at that level all season.” Hunter will play a lot of offensive snaps and see a lot of designed looks. His usage will be high. But will he continue to only play the Y (slot) receiver position? I’ll be closely monitoring where Hunter lines up on the field and what types of routes he runs on Sunday.
Henry Zimmer: I have harped on this in Winners and Losers, but can the Jags play cleaner football out of the bye? Regular penalties happen to every team; however, the procedural penalties need to be cut down severely if the Jags want to get back on track. That should be an easy enough task against the Raiders.
What’s a matchup you’re looking forward to watching?
Dillon: This is kind of a weird one, but since we may only see one or two opportunities for these two to collide, Travis Hunter vs. Ashton Jeanty. A year ago, they were arguably the two best college football players in the country and found themselves in a heated race for the 2024 Heisman Trophy. Hunter ended up edging Jeanty out for the honor, but many believe the voters got it wrong. Sunday will mark the first time the two have ever faced off. Something tells me if Jeanty gets to the edge and sees Hunter in space, he may look to get a small form of payback.
Travis: Brock Bowers against Jacksonville’s safeties may be a noteworthy matchup after Eric Murray was listed as a Did Not Participate (DNP) at Wednesday and Thursday’s practices. Bowers reportedly played through a posterior cruciate ligament injury suffered in the Raiders’ season opener before being shut down in Week 5. He has been a full participant this week and looks to make his return. With the Jaguars’ backend, namely Andrew Wingard, struggling mightily against tight ends over the past two weeks, increased snaps from backup Antonio Johnson at the other safety spot could provide even more potential for play-action explosives in the passing game against that unit.
Gus: Jourdan Lewis against Jakobi Meyers in the slot. They’re both dependable veterans with inside-outside versatility and high intangibles. With Bowers being slowed via injury this year, Meyers has been the Raiders’ most consistent pass-catcher — and Lewis has been the Jaguars’ most consistent defensive back. There should be a few high-quality battles between these two when Las Vegas is in “gotta have it” mode on late downs. And hey, maybe Jacksonville will like what it sees from Meyers and try to make a move for him before the Nov. 4 trade deadline.
Henry: I want to see the Jags’ defensive line bully the Raiders. Geno Smith has been sacked 19 times this year, and the run game for Vegas is spotty at best. This should be a get-right game for the defensive line. With enough pressure, Smith should be baited into throwing errant passes that turn into picks for the secondary. He has 10 interceptions so far this year.
Who will be the biggest X-factor?
Dillon: Anton Harrison vs. Maxx Crosby. Jacksonville’s offensive line has been terrible as of late. Naturally, they will be under a microscope this weekend. Right tackle Anton Harrison has been one of the more consistent(ish) pieces of the unit but he will be put to the test against one of the best pass rushers in the league in Maxx Crosby. If Harrison has a good day against Crosby, it should set the offense up for success against a pretty middling defense in Vegas.
Travis: Raiders’ DE Maxx Crosby is my X-factor for this game. We’ve clearly seen the Jaguars’ offensive line’s consistent struggles against elite-level edge talent in 2025: from Trey Hendrickson, to Jared Verse, or either Seahawks pass rusher. Well, with notably less surrounding talent than most of those named examples, can this Jaguars front limit Crosby from making those game-changing plays, or are we in for another Trey Hendrickson-like performance from Week 2?
Gus: Travis Etienne. He rushed for 50+ yards in each of the first four weeks of the season but failed to reach that mark in the past three games. That can mostly be chalked up to strength of opponent and game scripts, but Liam Coen did say Monday, “I’ve got to call more runs in general … it’s something that we’ve got to get back to being able to do a little bit more.” Jacksonville is the fourth-pass-heaviest team in the league, according to nfelo’s pass rate over expected. Look for Coen to find more balance by giving the rock to #1.
Henry: My X-Factor is Liam Coen. The first-year coach has done a commendable job taking accountability and owning his mistakes as a young coach. I want to see him put his words into practice on Sunday against a bad team and essentially take it all out on the Raiders. I think that can certainly be done.
Final score prediction?
Dillon: Jaguars 24, Raiders 23
Travis: Jaguars 16, Raiders 17
Gus: Jaguars 27, Raiders 17
Henry: Jaguars 35, Raiders 21
What are your Week 9 predictions, Jaguars fans? Let us know in the comments!
