Las Vegas Raiders blow a 17-point lead once again, fall 27-20 to Jaguars
The Las Vegas Raiders were outplayed on both sides in a second-half shutout, dropping to 2-6 after a 27-20 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Las Vegas Raiders should be thinking about their next opponent on the schedule, but after Sunday’s loss, they may be better off preparing for the 2023 NFL Draft.
In what sounds like a broken record at this point, because it is, the Silver and Black once again were at the expense of a tale of two halves. Despite holding a 17-0 lead early in the first half and walking into halftime with a 20-10 lead in their back pocket, Las Vegas’ defense allowed 17 unanswered points in the final two quarters.
The ensuing loss drops the Raiders to 2-6 on the season, 0-5 on the road, and dead last in the AFC West.
After a shutout loss to the Saints last week it seemed like Las Vegas had corrected their hindsight at the start of Sunday’s matchup with the Jaguars. Josh McDaniels had scripted plays with Davante Adams as the first progression, and it showed with Derek Carr finding his WR1 early and often. Adams finished with a team-high 10 receptions on 17 targets for 146 yards and two touchdowns.
Carr went 21-of-36 for 259 yards to go along with his two touchdown throws, and Maxx Crosby recovered an early Jaguars fumble off a botched pitch from Trevor Lawrence to keep Jacksonville scoreless at the onset. It was early, but it felt like the Raiders were putting together a complete effort on both sides of the ball that would eventually lead to a comfortable win.
But as has been the case all season long for this Raiders team, they cannot execute for all four quarters.
Raiders blow a 17-point lead for the third time, fall to 2-6 on the season
Las Vegas’ blown lead was not the first time it happened this season, and based on the performance so far it very well might not be the last. The Raiders giving up a 17-point lead was the third occurrence for Las Vegas in just this season, a putrid stat that falls more on the new regime than the players themselves. The Raiders failed to execute on the ground as well, with Josh Jacobs limited to just 67 yards on 17 attempts for an average of 3.9 yards per carry.
It is clear this team is vulnerable to losing to anybody at this point, and subsequently, it highlights how far they are from serious contention.
Going forward it’s clear that the Raiders have to redefine what the term “success” looks like for this team in the near future because a playoff appearance is out of the cards. The trade deadline has passed, so there are no home-run moves that the front office can make to spark some miraculous turnaround. Instead, any win and semblance of consistency feel like an achievement amid a lost season for the Raiders.