The Jaguars will face the Raiders in week 9 coming off of their bye week. Both teams are coming off a bye week after suffering a blowout defeat in week 7 and are looking to get back into the win column.
The passing game will be a battle of weaknesses between the Raiders offense and Jaguars defense. The Jaguars rank 27th in passing yards and 29th in passing touchdowns allowed on defense. After feasting off of turnovers early on, teams have figured them out, and they have not been able to adjust. With Travis Hunter and Eric Murray both being placed on injured reserve just days before the game, the Jaguars pass defense has gotten even weaker.
For the Raiders, it has been a struggle on offense. Geno Smith has struggled mightily, throwing just 7 touchdowns to 10 interceptions. The passing offense as a whole ranks 28th in yards, touchdowns, and dead last in interceptions. Against an opportunistic defense, Geno Smith may keep both teams in the game.
The Jaguars rushing attack was their best weapon offensively through 4 games but has fallen off drastically. Travis Etienne has not rushed for more than 49 yards over the past 3 games, so the Jaguars will need to get him going early. The Raiders run defense has been quietly a solid unit, ranking 13th in yards and 10th in yards per attempt allowed.
A big factor in the Jaguars rushing struggles is the lack of rushing attempts, with Travis Etienne and Bhayshul Tuten combining for just 43 attempts over the last 3 games. With both teams coming off of a bye week, it will be interesting to see how both teams prepare for this.
For the Raiders, the rushing attack has been a struggle all season. They currently rank 27th in yards and 27th in yards per attempt. On the flip side of this, the Jaguars run defense ranks 6th in yards and 9th in yards per attempt allowed. The Jaguars will look to shut down the run on early downs, forcing obvious passing situations.
With Travis Hunter being placed on injured reserve, the wide receivers will have to step up in a big way. Through 8 weeks, Brian Thomas Jr. leads the NFL in drops with 9. Now, he will be getting even more defensive attention withotu Travis Hunter alongside him. Will Thomas return to his 2024 self, or was it a one year wonder?
Trevor Lawrence has been mediocre so far this season, throwing just 9 touchdown passes and completing under 60% of his passes. The Raiders are ranked 20th in passing yards allowed and have allowed 40 points twice. Against a struggling Raiders defense and with two weeks to prepare, this could be a big game for Trevor Lawrence after a shaky start to the season.
One of the biggest problems for both teams has been third downs. The Jaguars rank 31st in third down percentage, while the Raiders are 29th in 3rd down percentage on defense. Something will have to give when the Jaguars offense faces third down.
Offensive line play will be a huge factor for the Jaguars. Through 4 games, they allowed just 4 sacks, but over the last three, they have allowed 17, including back-to-back 7- sack games. The Raiders currently rank 24th in sacks at just 15, so the Jaguars offensive line may be able to return to form in this game.
On the flip side of this, the Jaguars defense ranks dead last in sacks with just 8. If they are to give Geno Smith problems, they will have to generate pressure. With a struggling pass defense now losing two key players in Eric Murray and Travis Hunter, Josh Hines-Allen and Travon Walker will need to step up in a major way.
This game comes down to the offensive line play. The Jaguars have not been able to run the ball or pass protect as of late, and the Raiders have not been able to run the ball all season. Neither team has an excellent unit in the trenches on either side of the ball, so it will be a battle of execution rather than talent.
With both teams coming off a bye week after a brutal week 7 loss, the first quarter will tell us a lot about how both teams are able to respond. The Jaguars look to move to 5-3 and keep their playoff hopes alive, while the Raiders are looking to turn around a nightmare season.