The Las Vegas Raiders take on the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9, and here are some bold predictions for the AFC matchup.
Week 8 could not have conceivably gone worse than it did for the Raiders in New Orleans last Sunday. In a pivotal game to get their season back on track, Las Vegas put up an embarrassing performance. The Raiders were shut out 24-0 against the injury-riddled Saints, failing to score any points in a game for the first time in eight years.
Now, the disappointing Raiders must put their Week 8 debacle behind them and shift their attention to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9.
In hopes of better adjusting to the time difference and accelerating team bonding, the Raiders decided to stay in Sarasota, FL. this week, rather than travel back to Las Vegas from Louisiana. It remains to be seen if this will have any sort of positive effect on the team.
If Las Vegas has any hope left of saving their season and competing for a playoff spot, losing on Sunday is not an option. Despite the team’s lackluster play, hope can be found in a 3-5 record. 2-6, though, the focus really begins to shift to the best players on Saturdays.
Jacksonville currently sits at 2-6, about equally as disappointing as the Raiders. The Jaguars expected immense growth from young Q,B Trevor Lawrenc,e in his sophomore season, especially with the addition of new coach Doug Pederson. Instead, Lawrence has continued to struggle and Jacksonville is 0-6 in one-score games.
On Sunday, the Raiders will attempt to improve to 3-5, in what can only be billed as a matchup between two teams who should probably have much better records than they do.
Before tomorrow’s noon kickoff, let’s take a look at three bold predictions for the Week 9 contest.