Raiders full of surprises in their 27-20 loss to the Jaguars

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Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (28) rushes for yards against Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (5) during the second quarter of a regular season NFL football matchup Sunday, Nov. 6, 2022, at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville. The Jacksonville Jaguars held off the Las Vegas Raiders 27-20. [Corey Perrine/Florida Times-Union] /

Once again, the Raiders lost a very winnable game. While that may not be very surprising, these three things certainly were.

The Las Vegas Raiders look to be putting the Jacksonville Jaguars away early on Sunday, but as has been the case all season long, they failed to finish the job. Now, sitting at 2-6, their season is essentially over, and in what has been a season of surprises, this matchup held serve with the rest of the 2022 campaign.

Here, we look at what surprised us in the Week 9 loss to the Jaguars.

Raiders full of surprises in their 27-20 loss to the Jaguars

Struggling on the ground

With the exception of last week’s game against New Orleans, the Raiders appeared to find an identity on offense. Of course, this came in the form of Josh Jacobs on the ground when he had three straight games with over 140 yards on the ground.

In a contract year, many would assume that the recipe would stay the same and they would continue to feed their bell cow back.

Instead, the Raiders couldn’t get anything working in the run game, especially early on. With a minuscule amount of passing yards at halftime, Jacobs was a non-factor in the first half. This was mostly due to the explosive plays created by Davante Adams, but it was still startling to see the team struggle so much in this regard.

In the second half, Jacobs picked it up significantly and finished with 67 rushing yards on seventeen carries. Still, the Raiders would finish with just 73 rushing yards compared to Jacksonville who finished with 168. After entering halftime with a lead, the Raiders were not able to keep it.

Perhaps, if Vegas would have committed to the running game more, they could have sealed the deal with the legs of Jacobs and the rest of their backs.

JACKSONVILLE, FLORIDA – NOVEMBER 06: Davante Adams #17 of the Las Vegas Raiders drops a pass in the fourth quarter of the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at TIAA Bank Field on November 06, 2022, in Jacksonville, Florida. (Photo by Eric Espada/Getty Images) /

Raiders full of surprises in their 27-20 loss to the Jaguars

Davante Adams disappears in the second half

Last week in New Orleans, Davante Adams was invisible. With just one reception on a screen pass, Adams was a total non-factor. As the NFL’s best receiver, this is obviously unacceptable. As such, the Raiders clearly made it a point to get him the ball early and often against the Jaguars. As usual, it paid huge dividends.

With seven receptions for 126 yards and two touchdowns, Adams was unstoppable. His first touchdown, a nice catch through some sticky coverage, was a great example of the connection he and Carr share. The second was a result of a busted coverage but helped the Raiders get out to a huge 17-0 lead.

Then, inexplicably, everything changed after halftime. With just three catches for 20 yards out of the break, Adams was completely neutralized. While much credit goes to Jacksonville for adjusting, he also had some uncharacteristic drops in big moments when the Raiders badly needed him.

Of course, Adams cannot be perfect every week but he has to be better than he was in the second half. Conversely, the Raiders and head coach Josh McDaniels cannot continue to misuse him. He is their best player and should be relied upon to close games in the second half.

However, too often, the team takes its foot off the gas and the big plays go by the wayside.

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