After three straight losses, facing the Jaguars who had lost five straight looked like the Raiders’ best chance to pull out of their tailspin and put a W on the board. Little did we know just how lost this team has become.
Even with their supposed desire to give the fans in Oakland a win in their final game ever, the Raiders played uninspired football, scoring just one touchdown and fizzling down the stretch for their fourth straight loss.
It’s times like this that it seems like leading out with the Busters would be appropriate. But as per usual, I will list the exceptions to the debacle before laying out the ones who spoiled their efforts.
Baller: Darren Waller
It was a monumental day for the phenomenal young tight end. He caught 8 passes for 122 yards to reach 80 receptions for 1001 yards on the season, becoming just the second Raiders tight end ever to reach either of those marks in a season. And he did it with two games remaining in the season.
His first catch went for ten yards on the Raider’s opening drive. It put the team in Jacksonville territory and two plays later, they scored a touchdown.
The next drive went for a field goal with Waller catching a pass for 13 yards and a gorgeous over-the-shoulder pass for 36 yards to put the Raiders at the 18-yard-line.
Waller would catch passes of 12 and 15 yards on the next drive, but two sacks would back the Raider out of scoring range. A block by Waller helped DeAndre Washington pick up 9 yards to put the Raiders in scoring range again, but they would go backward from there, losing 15 yards on a tackle for loss, a penalty and a sack, leading to another punt.
But before the half, Waller would lay a key block on a 21-yard screen play and then make a 20-yard catch on a crossing route. This time they would get inside the 10-yard-line, but ran out of time and settled for a field goal to take a 16-3 halftime lead.
Waller had 106 yards at the half, when the Raiders actually scored some points. Waller’s best play in the second half was laying the block that allowed Derek Carr to pick up 12 yards on a scramble that put the Raiders in scoring range.
Unfortunately, Daniel Carlson would miss the field goal(s) and the Raiders were once again held scoreless. Waller also made the 10-yard catch to put the team in range of a couple Hail Mary attempts at the end.
Baller: Trayvon Mullen
Mullen was downright elite most of this game. Making pass breakups left and right and sticking to his assignment like glue. In total, he has three pass breakups in the game. The rest of the Raiders defense combined for one and that was Maurice Hurst’s bat down at the line.
Mullen was also a tackle machine. He finished third on the team with seven combined tackles (six solo). And there weren’t all downfield either. His first tackle came on his second play and it was a run stuffed at the line.
The next three Jaguars’ possessions ended in three-and-outs. The first with Mullen in tight coverage to force an incompletion on third down, the next with Mullen forcing an incompletion with sticky coverage, and the third with Mullen knocking a pass down on third down.
The possession after that lasted four plays with Mullen making a tackle on a 3-yard catch. That was every possession of the first half.
The Jaguars’ first touchdown came in the fourth quarter. The biggest play on the drive was a very questionable pass interference penalty on Mullen. On the next play, he made a textbook pass breakup. He had another pass breakup on the final Jaguars drive, but they would still score the game-winning touchdown.
Baller: Clelin Ferrell
The Raiders like to say that he’s playing good football, but just doesn’t put up the numbers and the flashy stats like sacks. For once I agree with that. He helped make the run stop at the line on the second play.
On the third possession, he shot into the backfield to tackle the running back for a one-yard loss. The next possession he made another run stop and on the next play he had containment on the outside to stop Leonard Fournette in his tracks and he was tackled by Marquel Lee for a 4-yard loss at the 2-yard-line.
He would do it again a bit later and again for a tackle for loss. No glamorous sack stats, but disciplined stout run support.
Baller: Will Compton
Compton came straight outta nowhere to be signed off the street by the Raiders this season. And he’s quietly been a solid addition to the linebacking corps.
He led the Raiders with 9 tackles in this game. His first two stops were big ones. The Jaguars were at the Oakland 14-yard-line on their first possession following a 55-yard completion.
On first down, Compton got in on the run stop for one yard. Two plays later, he made the tackle on Gardner Minshew on a 3-yard scramble and the Jags had to settle for a field goal.
Two of the Jaguars three three-and-outs in the first half featured Compton making a run stop. On the Jaguars’ first TD drive, they had to go for it on 4th and one to keep the drive alive because Compton made the tackle on third and three to stop them short of the sticks. He may just play himself into a shot at returning next year if he keeps this up.
Honorable Mention
Josh Jacobs – Returning with his broken shoulder to carry the ball 24 times for 89 yards is no small thing. He also caught a couple passes for 20 yards.
Busters: Jon Gruden, Paul Guenther
This team is a travesty in the second half. Sometimes they’re a travesty in the first half too, but this week they just saved the worst for last. In their three straight losses, they were facing good teams either on hot streaks or in their own house. This one was neither. Not by a long shot.
This was a team on a severe cold streak and it was in the final game in Oakland. If they can’t get up for that, they can’t get up for anything. That falls on coaching first and foremost.
The Raiders began the game with a commanding 16-3 lead, but even then there were signs things were not what they should be. The offense scored a touchdown on the opening drive, but couldn’t get out of their own way after that, leading to three stalled drives for field goals.
Gruden was thinking this team could coast to a win the rest of the way. Otherwise, there’s no excuse for punting on 4th and one at the Jacksonville 49 early in the third quarter. You go for it in that situation every time. But Gruden played it conservatively. And the Jaguars crept back in it.
The second half saw the Jaguars come back to score 17 points while the Raiders scored none. It began with a long drive for a field goal at the end of the third quarter. Then a stop and a drive for a touchdown to begin the fourth. And suddenly it was a 3-point game.
One more chance for the Raiders to get on the board in the second half. They drove into Jacksonville territory and Carr ran for it. He picked up 12 yards and slid inbounds along the right sideline. He was erroneously ruled out which stopped the clock. Gruden tried to challenge it, but it was not a challengeable play and he lost a timeout instead.
In the end, the Raiders put their hopes on the leg of Daniel Carlson from 50 yards out. He missed wide left. Twice.
Gruden was rightfully livid about Carr being ruled out of bounds despite obviously sliding inbounds. But if you’re pinning your hopes of winning this game on that, then you’ve already lost.
The Jaguars took over at the Oakland 35 with 1:44 remaining and everyone watching had the same sinking feeling. They could sense it coming since at least the third quarter and perhaps before that. Impending doom. On the first play, was a wide-open 8-yard catch.
Then the Minshew had the middle of the field wide open to scramble for 8 yards. Then a blown coverage led to an astonishingly wide open Chris Conley on a cross for 21 yards. They were in range to tie it right there with 47 seconds still left.
A roughing the passer penalty on Dion Jordan put them in first and goal. Three plays later, they scored the game-winning touchdown. And the Coliseum crowd that had already been feeling a dreadful sense of déjà vu was now furious that this is what they all came out to bid farewell to.
Buster: Nevin Lawson
The Jaguars didn’t make many big plays. In fact, they had just two plays that went over 20 yards. There was one, however, that stood out above the rest. It was the third play of the game Keelan Cole made a quick move outside and Lawson bit on it as Cole turned upfield and was wide open for a 55-yard completion.
It set up their first field goal. Lawson gave up the Jaguars’ first touchdown as well. That’s half the Jaguars’ points on those two catches.
Buster: Derek Carr
Let’s talk about that slide that was ruled out of bounds, because it’s been bugging me. Not because it was a bad call. It was a terrible call. But, you know, I can’t help but wonder how that call happened in the first place.
We already covered that the Raiders shouldn’t have put themselves in the situation where they needed it so desperately. But Carr could easily have slid inbounds or dove inbounds and stayed there, taking any sort of judgment call away from the officials. He had the blocking. He even could potentially have turned inside and gotten a few more yards if he wanted to. But he didn’t. Getting flagged for delay of game while arguing the call only made things worse.
While we’re talking about judgment, what about on the first play of the next possession? With 27 seconds left, needing to push the ball down the field and Carr rolls out left and… throws it away??? That’s the one thing he should not do in that situation. You either take a shot downfield or you take off and run it to get what you can and get out of bounds if you can. That play elicited a considerable rain of boos.
Carr several times didn’t see the open man in the game. Yeah, he had some drops too, but that’s always going to happen. The second possession ended with him overthrowing a covered Darren Waller while missing a wide-open Zay Jones underneath that would have been a first down and the Raiders settled for the first of three field goals.
The third field goal drive, Tyrell Williams had a step on his man with open field in front of him and Carr didn’t take the shot, instead throwing too high for Josh Jacobs behind the line.
Early in the fourth quarter he again missed a wide-open Zay Jones, and again chose to throw to a back behind the line, this time it was caught for a loss. Carr was sacked on third and long and they punted it away again.
Busters: Brandon Parker, Kolton Miller
Carr had his issues, but he also found himself under a good deal of pressure from the outside. Both sides. Parker almost ended the Raiders’ first possession with a three-and-out. He got beat twice on the same play, causing Jacobs to have to break both tackles to get past the line and pick up the first down on third and one.
Two possessions later, to begin the second quarter, Miller gave up a pressure that resulted in a batted ball at the line. The next play, on third and 18, Parker gave up a sack on Carr. On the next possession, Parker was flagged for illegal formation and two plays later Miller gave up a sack on Carr.
The next possession ended with a field goal after Parker got beaten to get DeAndre Washington stopped in the backfield for a 3-yard loss. Next possession, with the Raiders in first and goal at the 9-yard-line, Miller gave up a pressure and Carr had to throw it away to keep from getting sacked and allow them to get a field goal out of it.
Buster: Tyrell Williams
In third and 11, with under two minutes remaining, the Raiders needed to keep the clock moving. Getting a first down would be ideal, but just completing a pass would also have been great as it would keep the clock moving. It would also move the Raiders closer for a shorter field goal try.
Carr threw it right to Williams at the 25 and he dropped it. Had he caught it, at a minimum it would have kept the clock going and set the Raiders up for a 43-yard field goal try. The drop stopped the clock and Carlson had to try from 50 and 45 instead, missing both.
Ultimately, the Raiders would get two shots to pull out a miracle. They had two Hail Mary shots. Williams should be the Raiders’ best chance at converting on that play.
The first one, he wasn’t even in position to make a play on the ball. The second time, they put him on the opposite side of the field and didn’t throw his way, essentially using him as a decoy. That’s not what you want from your number one receiver.
Yeah, he scored the Raiders one touchdown. But even then, he started high stepping at the 15-yard-line when he didn’t have nearly enough separation to do so and ended up getting tackled as he crossed the goal line.
Buster: Daniel Carlson
Carlson made three field goals in this game. The longest of those was 34 yards. When he was asked to kick from further out, he missed. Twice.
His first attempt was from 50 yards out and it missed wide left. But he was given a rare second chance with the Jaguars flagged for running into the kicker. Not only was it a second chance, but it was also from five yards closer. Same result. Had he made either of those kicks, the Raiders would have taken a 6-point lead.
So, the Jaguars wouldn’t have the option of driving for a field goal to tie. And being that they scored a touchdown, it would have only given them a 1-point lead instead of a 4-point lead and thus the Raiders would have needed only to drive into field goal range again for a chance at winning it.
Carlson has now missed a field goal in five of the last six games in which he attempted a field goal and six misses overall this season (71.4%). I’d be surprised if he survives this to return next season.
