The Oakland Raiders head out to the state of Florida for their Week 7 matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Coming into the contest, the Raiders are 3-0 on the road and have executed their game plans.
Head coach Jack Del Rio’s outlook on this organization has been just shy of a culture change, as these Raiders are anticipating a playoff birth and won’t accept anything less. They take on a Jaguars team that has underperformed tremendously this season, but is capable of putting points on the board.
Going into the contest, the Raiders remain split amongst their offensive and defensive averages, while the Jaguars rankings are the opposite. The Raiders are allowing a league-worst 444.8 yards per game, while the Jaguars are ranked ninth at 321.4 yards per game.
To the contrary, the Raiders are averaging the seventh most yards in the league, at 373.8 yards per game. The Jaguars are ranked 29th in the NFL, at 320 yards per game.
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles and Raiders running back Latavius Murray have quite the connection, as the pair were close friends during their time at the University of Central Florida. Murray made some interesting comparisons between Bortles and Derek Carr.
At EverBank Stadium, the Raiders will face off against an offense ready to explode. With a deep receiving core, Bortles has plenty of options to hit, while being able to dump it off to running back T.J. Yeldon.
The Jaguars have struggled with the running game, achieving more than 60 rushing yards only once this season. Gus Bradley remains insistent on establishing a running game, in order to ease the passing load for Bortles.
This proves to be an advantage for the silver and black, as they are allowing the most rushing yards in the NFL. If Khalil Mack, Bruce Irvin and the front seven can contain the running backs, they can help ease the load off of the Raiders secondary.
Carr also has his own reliable set of targets, as Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree should see plenty of openings and quick routes against a strong front seven of the Jaguars. Murray still remains questionable with his turf toe injury, which may allow DeAndre Washington and Jalen Richard to once again see the bulk of the carries.
This marks the eighth official meeting between these two clubs, with the Jaguars winning four of the first seven. The game is set for a 10:00 A.M. PST kickoff, with the Raiders fighting to stay atop the AFC West.
