Raiders 19-14 Jaguars (December 22, 2024) Game Recap

LAS VEGAS — — Raiders owner Mark Davis made the rounds Sunday to congratulate the players as music blared inside the locker room.

It didn’t matter to Davis or the players that Las Vegas had just hurt its chances of securing the No. 1 overall draft pick in next year’s NFL draft.

The Raiders had finally won – for the first time in nearly three months.

Aidan O’Connell returned from injury and passed for 257 yards, and the Raiders ended a 10-game losing streak with a 19-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Just to come in here and win,” Raiders tight end Brock Bowers said. “The vibes are much better.”

The Raiders, whose skid was the longest active streak in the NFL, won for the first time since to beat Cleveland Browns 20-16 on September 29th. However, the win means the Raiders (3-12) moved ahead of the league-worst New York Giants (2-13). The team with the worst record is in line for the top pick in next year’s draft, and the Raiders are tied for sixth at this point, according to Tankathon.

Not because Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce wanted to hear about the ramifications of possibly missing out on a top quarterback in the draft.

“Talk to (general manager) Tom Telesco,” Pierce said.

Jacksonville (3-12) has lost seven of its last eight games and is 2-9 in one-score contests, moving up to third in the draft order, according to the website.

O’Connell made his first start in two weeks. He did not play Monday night 15-9 loss to Atlanta due to a left knee injury.

“It was just fun to see the smiles again,” O’Connell said. “It’s a big part of why you play the game. It’s hard not to have it for 10 weeks straight.”

Bowers caught 11 passes for 99 yards, leaving him 10 yards from breaking Mike Ditka’s 63-year-old NFL rookie record for tight ends. Ditka had 1,076 yards in 1961. Bowers became the third rookie tight end to reach 1,000 yards in a season, joining Ditka and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts in 2021.

Jacksonville’s Brian Thomas Jr. caught nine passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, giving him 73 catches this season and break the rookie club record of 64 set by Justin Blackmon in 2012. Thomas is also the Jaguars’ rookie record holder for receiving yards (1,087) and touchdowns (nine).

Mac Jones passes for 247 yards and a TD for the Jaguars.

But the Jaguars also lost two fumbles, committed eight penalties for 60 yards and had 15 first downs.

“It’s the most frustrating thing I’ve ever seen or been a part of,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. “Obviously, it’s something that’s held us back all year. Gosh, at some point you’d think enough would be enough. We’d learn from it. Move on. But it seems to plague us every week.”

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao forced both fumbles and became the first Raiders defensive back since Charles Woodson in 1999 to create more than one.

“It’s pretty cool, but I’m glad we got that dub,” Pola-Mao said. “It’s more than anything else.”

This is the first game this season that the Raiders have not trailed by double digits. Their 14-game streak to open a season was second only to the Indianapolis Colts’ 16-game streak in 1986.

The Raiders’ 10-game losing streak was the fifth-longest in franchise history and their longest since dropping 16 straight between the 2013-14 seasons.

Las Vegas even had a chance to go up two possessions late in the third quarter, but Daniel Carlson missed a 46-yard field goal to the left with 2:18 left. Jacksonville took advantage when Jones found a wide open Thomas deep down the left side of the field for a 62-yard touchdown and a 14-13 lead with 54 seconds left in the third.

Las Vegas responded with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in Ameer Abdullah’s 7-yard scoring run less than four minutes into the fourth quarter. O’Connell’s pass on a 2-point conversion was overthrown, leaving the Raiders with a 19-14 lead.

Injuries

Jaguars: LT Walker Little (ankle), RT Anton Harrison (shoulder), S Darnell Savage (concussion) and LB Ventrell Miller (ankle) were injured.

Raiders: CBs Nate Hobbs (illness) and Sam Webb (back/illness) and G Jordan Meredith (ankle) did not play.

Next

Jaguars: Host at Tennessee on Sunday.

Raiders: Visit New Orleans on Sunday.

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AP NFL: