Well, at least, it wasn’t boring.
A 6-3 stinker at halftime turned into a wild 30-29 overtime thriller between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Jacksonville Jaguars.
In the end, the Raiders fell short in overtime and are 2-6. Their season continues to free fall and this was a winnable game against a team that was much more injured and that was on a two-game losing streak.
Let’s look at some keys to the game:
The two-point
conversion:
OK, let’s right this out of the way — it was the right call.
There were 16 seconds in overtime and the team is 2-5. Go for the win. The play just didn’t work. Quarterback Geno Smith had a bad throw and it was batted down. He had Tyler Lockett and Jakobi Meyers open. It was a winnable play. It just didn’t work.
Bowers is brilliant:
At least, Brock Bowers wears the Silver and Black. The superstar tight end was back after missing three games with a knee injury. He was fully healthy for the first time since Week 1 and he was fantastic. Bowers had 12 catches for 127 yards and he had three touchdown catches. He’s a game changer and he was a big reason why the Raiders scored a season-high 29 points.
Geno wasn’t great:
Smith’s numbers tell a story of a quarterback who had a good game. He completed 29 of 39 passes for 284 yards and he threw four touchdown passes. But he also threw some inaccurate passes and he had another bad interception. And then there was the final play. It wasn’t his worse game and he wasn’t the main reason why Las Vegas lost. But he was still shaky.
Jeanty makes presence felt:
Rookie running back had five catches for 47 yards and a touchdown. He had 42 yards on 13 carries. The Raiders didn’t run the ball much but, at least, Jeanty was a factor as a receiver.
Defense wilts:
The Raiders’ defense had a tough game . They struggled to tackle and saw the Jaguars extend drives. Jacksonville was 9 of 16 on third down and 3 for 3 on fourth down. Jacksonville held the ball for 42, 57 compared to the Raiders’ 26,47. The defense lost this game.
Jaguars banged up:
The Raiders’ 53-man roster was healthy. The Jaguars’ wasn’t. They were without wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter, star linebacker Devin Lloyd and wide receiver Brian Thomas was hurt late. Also, quarterback Trevor Lawrence played through an illness. Gutsy win.
Trade deadline looms:
The NFL trade deadline is Tuesday at 1 p.m. PT. Frankly, a victory may not have changed the Raiders plans, but at 2-6, they should be sellers. Meyers, guard Jackson Powers-Johnson have have been rumored to be available and other Raiders such as tight end Michael Mayer, cornerback Eric Stokes and defensive end Malcolm Koonce could attract interest. We’ll see what happens.
Thornton out/ Lockett in:
Dont’e Thornton has gone from a starter to a healthy scratch. The fourth-round pick was inactive as Lockett made his Raiders’ debut. Thornton hasn’t produced much and now Las Vegas has, at least for now, run put of patience with him. A team with a losing record should stick with the youngsters, though, in my opinion. Lockett, 33, was targeted twice but didn’t have a catch.
Porter starts:
Rookie third-round pick Dairen Porter replaced Kyu Blu Kelly as a starting cornerback. Carroll hinted their could be some post-bye position take overs and now it’s Porter’s job. Also, undrafted rookie greedy Vance was elevated from the practice squad and he started at nickel as Darnay Holmes was inactive. Also, Tristen McCollum played in some packages as well. So, big changes in the secondary.
Good defensive start:
The Raiders’ defense has been strong to open games for most of the season and were again on Sunday as the Jaguars went three and out to start the game after getting the ball at their own 40.
Can’t take advantage:
Trevor Lawrence gifted the Raiders a possession after a terrible interception in heavy coverage in the end zone on a short pass, ending a 17-play drive with nothing. But the Raiders couldn’t take advantage and the ensuing series ended when they couldn’t convert on fourth and one. They had three plays to get two yards and couldn’t. Brutal.
Record kick:
Jacksonville kicker Cam Little nailed a 68-yard field goal to make it a 6-3 game at halftime. It set an NFL record for the longest field goal ever.
Mostert shines:
Raheem Mostert had two 50-plus yard kick returns, one in overtime. He’s the first Raiders’ player to do that since, at least, 1991 according to The Associated Press.
