Las Vegas Raiders running back Ameer Abdullah (8) scores a touchdown as he gets past the Jacksonville Jaguars defense, including cornerback Tyson Campbell (3), during the second half of the game on Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. | AP Photo/John Locher
Published on December 22, 2024 at 7:50 pm
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Once again, it was a bad football game played by two bad football teams.
The Jaguars’ 19-14 loss to the Raiders in Las Vegas dropped the Jaguars to 3-12 on the season. More on the impact of that record in a moment.
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Both the Jaguars and Raiders are very flawed teams. The Jaguars, arguably, have a stronger roster, but during the game both of Jacksonville’s starting tackles, Walker Little and Anton Harrison, left the game, leveling the field a bit.
One of the storylines in the game was the showcasing of young pass catchers. For the Jaguars, it was Brian Thomas Jr., who went over 1,000 yards receiving on the season after a nine-catch, 131-yard, one-touchdown performance.
On the Raiders’ side, it was former Georgia Bulldog tight end Brock Bowers, who also went over 1,000 yards as he surpassed the 100-reception plateau. Both look like stars of the future, if not of the present for their respective teams.
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Other Jaguars rookies also had notable performances. Defensive end and second-round pick Maason Smith, who has largely been an afterthought this season, enjoyed his best game with a sack and three tackles. Fifth-round pick cornerback Deantre Prince also saw his most substantial playing time.
The Jaguars lost their ninth game of the season by a touchdown or less. What have the differences been this season? Sometimes it was attention to detail by the players. On Sunday, the Jaguars committed eight penalties for 60 yards including a holding call on Cole Van Lannen in the final minute that negated a fourth down conversion and led to the Jaguars’ turning the ball over on downs. Van Lannen was only in the game because of the injury to Harrison.
Coaching also deserves blame. The Jaguars didn’t force the ball to Thomas early in the game. It took more than the first half of the opening quarter to target the only substantial threat at wide receiver.
Injuries? Sure. They’ve been an issue almost all season. The lack of depth to replace the starters falls on the general manager. In short, there is enough blame to fill everyone’s stockings.
With the loss, and the other results around the NFL, the Jaguars are now in line to hold the third pick in the draft. That is significant because it’s likely that the first two picks will be quarterbacks, Colorado’s Shedeur Sanders and Miami’s Cam Ward.
If the Jaguars finish the season with the third pick, they should be able to select the best player on the board. Most draft analysts have Heisman Trophy winner Travis Hunter, the two-way player from Colorado, ranked as the top player in the draft. The Jaguars could use a cornerback and/or wide receiver.
With two games remaining against bad AFC South teams, the Jaguars could potentially win one or both of the games against the Titans and Colts. They could just as easily lose both.
The only certainty is that we are likely to see some bad football in the final 120 minutes of play before the season, mercifully, comes to an end.
Cole Pepper has covered sports in Jacksonville since 1996, most recently for News4Jax. He is currently broadcast director for Sporting Club Jacksonville and has called play-by-play for a number of teams, including the Suns, Tomcats, Jacksonville University, Sharks and The Bolles School football. He also served as the studio host for the Jaguars Radio Network.
