With back-to-back East Coast games on the schedule, the Raiders opted to hole up together in Florida for the week — mostly to rest, but I’m guessing there’s a hope that there’s some regrouping happening as well.
There’s no way to sugarcoat what happened last Sunday in New Orleans: it was an abject failure from every angle, and Head Coach Josh McDaniels is surely feeling the heat — from his owner, among others. The good news? The Jacksonville Jaguars are on the schedule this week, having lost five in a row — including a loss to Denver in London last week (that stretch also includes a home loss to the Texans and a road loss to the Colts).
So, yeah…no excuses.
Key Stats
Jacksonville: 3rd in rushing yards per game over the past three weeks (7th on the season), 3rd in scoring defense at home (10th overall)
Las Vegas: 27th in scoring defense in the 2nd and 3rd quarters, 2nd in giveaways per game
One of the key matchups to watch in this one will be Jacksonville’s rushing offense versus the Raiders run defense. In his last four games, Travis Etienne Jr. has run for 427 yards on just 58 carries — good for a shocking 7.36 yards per carry average. On the season, the Raiders have the 5th-best yards per carry allowed (4.1).
The other interesting number to me in doing some research was how bad the Raiders have been defensively in the second and third quarters. It seems like the Raiders begin the game with an okay game plan, but maybe they fail to adjust once the opposing offense has made tweaks? Last week they got a stop on their first drive and then allowed five straight drives to get into scoring range (four scores and a missed field goal) — so this is something to monitor as the sample size increases.
Key Players
Jacksonville: Zay Jones
The Zay Jones revenge game! Okay, unlikely, buuuuut did you see how bad Anthony Averett was in coverage last week against New Orleans’ No. 2 receivers? With Christian Kirk opposite him, Jones has put together a nice season (34 catches, 309 yards) — and he probably feels like Sunday will be more of the same.
Las Vegas: Chandler Jones
Honestly, it’s getting embarrassing at this point. Teams have realized they can just double up on Maxx Crosby because the expected threat of Jones on the other side of the defensive line has never materialized — and until Jones steps up, that’s not going to change. If the Raiders want to stop Etienne, they’re going to need some semblance of balance along the front, and Jones has to be that guy.
Not to be dramatic, but I really think this season will rise and fall on the performance of Jones over the next few weeks.
Prediction
Raiders 31, Jaguars 20
Call me crazy, call me optimistic — whichever adjective you want to use here is probably appropriate. I just can’t quit this team. I think the offense is good! And this week, I think the Jaguars are bad!
Last week the Raiders had a rest disadvantage given that the Saints were coming off a Thursday night game, but this week it’s their opponent who is getting a raw deal — coming off a game in London. So, give me the Raiders offense getting back on track and the defense doing just enough to make this one comfortable.
