Week 9 review

The Jaguars defeated the Raiders 30-29 in a gritty overtime win to improve to 5-3 and remain in the playoff picture. It was a rough start, but the offense took over in the 2nd half of the game to get their 2nd road win of the season.

Trevor Lawrence and the offense got the ball first and started at their own 40-yard line but continued their trend of poor offensive starts, going 3-and-out. The defense stood tall, forcing the Raiders to punt after just 5 plays. The Jaguars second drive was a memorable one for all the wrong reasons. The drive went 17 plays for 81 yards and took 10:27 but ended in a horrible interception from Trevor Lawrence.

Luckily, the defense was able to get another stop, forcing a turnover on downs. The Jaguars offense was able to move the ball initially, but penalties once again ended the drive. This time, the Raiders were able to get going, putting together a 13 play, 95-yard drive ending in a Brock Bowers touchdown to go up 6-0.

With the way the offense was playing and having just 35 seconds left in the half, it appeared there was no chance for the Jaguars to get points. After getting just 19 yards to put them at midfield, the Jaguars attempted a record-setting 68-yard field goal, which Cam Little drilled, giving the Jags their first points of the game, down 6-3.

The Raiders offense would receive the ball to begin the second half, but the drive only lasted two plays, as Geno Smith was intercepted by Montaric Brown at the Raiders 32. The offense went nowhere, picking up just 17 yards in 7 plays before kicking a 33-yard field goal to tie the game at 6.

Raheem Mostert returned the kickoff all the way to the Jaguars 43-yard line, giving the offense excellent field position. The Raiders would get all the way to the Jaguars 6-yard line before having to kick a field goal, giving them a 9-6 lead.

On the next possession, the Jaguars would put together their best drive of the game, going 69 yards in 13 plays, capped off by a 7-yard touchdown run from Trevor Lawrence to put themselves ahead 13-9.

Geno Smith and the offense would respond with their own 69-yard touchdown drive. The drive took 9 plays over the course of 5 minutes and ended with running back Ashton Jeanty taking a screen pass 15 yards for a touchdown to go back ahead 16-13.

The Jaguars responded once again. A 34-yard pass to Brian Thomas Jr. and a 20-yard run from Travis Etienne quickly put the Jaguars in a goal-to-go situation before running back Bhayshul Tuten scored from a yard out to give the Jaguars a 20-16 lead with just over 4 minutes to go.

A 37-yard kickoff return from Raheem Mostert gave the offense the ball at the 38-yard line. Once again, the Jaguars defense could not get a stop, allowing the Raiders to go 62 yards in 5 plays, with Brock Bowers scoring his second touchdown of the day to go up 23-20.

As bad as the defense was, the drive only lasted 2:14, which gave the Jaguars offense 1:47 to get into field goal range. With a few easy completions and scrambles from Trevor Lawrence, they were now in field goal range. Cam Little drilled a 48-yard field goal to send the game into overtime tied at 23.

The Jaguars elected to receive the ball first in overtime. A controversial decision with the new rules in play, but it paid off. A 54-yard kickoff return from Austin Tramell gave the offense great field position at the Raiders 44-yard line. After a 10-play drive. Trevor Lawrence leaped over the goal line for a touchdown to go ahead 30-23.

The next possession went the exact same way for the Raiders. A returned the kickoff 51 yards, starting the drive at the Jaguars 45-yard line. With 16 seconds remaining, Geno Smith completed his 4th touchdown pass of the day, once again to Brock Bowers for his third touchdown. The Raiders went for the win, going for 2 points. Davon Hamilton batted what would have been a surefire completion in the end zone, giving the Jaguars a 30-29 win.

The good

After a few weeks of a lackluster running game, the running backs were able to have a good game on the ground, combining for 123 yards on 32 carries. The Jaguars won the time of possession battle by 16 minutes, and a big reason for this was a consistent running game. The offensive line came through after a rough few weeks in pass protection, allowing just 1 sack and 2 qb hits.

3rd downs were a massive problem for the Jaguars offense, coming into the game ranked 31st in 3rd down percentage. Sunday was different, going 9-16 on third down and 3-3 on 4th down. Trevor Lawrence was excellent after the first quarter, going 16/24 for 171 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Parker Washington had his best game of the season, catching 8 passes for 90 yards. With Brian Thomas Jr. suffering an ankle injury mid game, Washington was the only viable receiver left for the Jaguars, and he stepped up in a big way.

Defensively, they shut down the run, holding Ashton Jeanty to just 42 yards on 13 carries. For the first time since the Chiefs game, they got into the turnover column, recording an interception to open the 3rd quarter. On the final play of the game, Davon Hamilton saved the day with a batted pass that would have almost certainly won the game for the Raiders.

The bad

Penalties have been a problem all season, and one game after the bye week, this problem was not fixed, recording 9 penalties for 80 yards. Trevor Lawrence had an awful turnover that ended a 10-minute drive. Lawrence has struggled with turnovers in the red zone his entire career, and this game was no different.

After allowing just 6 points in the first half, the defense went back to its old ways, giving up 23 points in the second half and overtime. With Jourdan Lewis going down early in the game, this left an already thin secondary stranded. Geno Smith was able to have his best game of the season, throwing 4 touchdown passes. Brock Bowers also had a career day, recording 12 catches for 127 yards and 3 touchdowns. The Jaguars will be a team to watch at the trade deadline, as they could look to add a defensive piece.

Conclusion

This was far from a pretty win, but it was a win nonetheless. With the defense struggling in the second half, Trevor Lawrence and Travis Etienne both had to step up, and they did. While there is plenty of room for improvement, the Jaguars won a game they almost certainly would have lost in past years, which is a good sign for the future. Jacksonville will head to Houston in week 10 to face a 3-5 Texans team without C.J. Stroud, in hopes of improving to 6-3, putting themselves right back in contention for the division title.

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