Raiders give up 17-point lead to Jaguars, fall to 2-6

The Las Vegas Raiders traveled to Florida to take on the Jacksonville Jaguars with hopes to get their first road win of the season. Despite a great first half, the Raiders could not come up with the win after losing a 17-point lead.

When asked about blowing a 17-plus point lead for the third time this season, QB Derek Carr sighed, collected his thoughts and responded, “There’s a lot I want to say, but if I am honest, I don’t need to say it here.”

The Raiders started their first drive of the game with a three and out, stalling on the first drive of the game for the second week in a row. Jacksonville began their first drive really well and made their way down the field, but a fumbled ball was recovered by star DE Maxx Crosby.

The Raiders offense took advantage of the turnover, making their way down the field with multiple catches from star WR Davante Adams. QB Derek Carr and Adams finished the drive with a 25 -yard touchdown connection on the sideline, putting them up 7-0.

Adams put on a show in the first half with an impressive 146 yards and two touchdowns. His second touchdown was a wide open 38-yard haul. The Jaguars began to make changes after that because in the second half, Adams was quiet and the Raiders offense could not find a way to get points on the board. The Jaguars fought back from being down 20-7, scoring 20 unanswered points, winning the game 27-20.

Although the Raiders lost, they did have two chances at the end of the fourth quarter to win the game within three minutes left to play. The Jaguar offense tried to get the Raiders defense to jump offsides on a fourth and one on the Raiders’ 23 yard line, but the defense held, which led to a missed field goal by Jacksonville.

The Raiders stalled on their first attempt, giving the ball back to the Jaguar offense led by QB Trevor Lawrence and RB Travis Etienne. Jacksonville began the possession on the Raiders’ 39 yard line and began to chew the clock, ending the possession with three points and extending their lead to 27-20.

The Raiders had one more chance with 1:03 left on the clock, but stalled yet again, ending the game after some forced throws to Adams and a checkdown to RB Brandon Bolden on fourth and 17, which turned into a fumble recovery by Jaguars rookie LB Devin Lloyd after failed lateral attempts.

The Raiders now fall to 2-6 and remain last in the division with their playoffs hopes beginning to disappear. Time will tell if the Raiders can figure out a way to stack wins and get into the playoff race in not only a competitive division, but a challenging conference.