Sunday looked like a classic bounce-back spot for the Raiders, but Josh McDaniels simply couldn’t get his team to close out the full 60 minutes.
Las Vegas went up, 17-0, in the first half, thanks to two touchdown receptions from Davante Adams, who was held to one reception for three yards in a Week 8 loss to the New Orleans Saints.
It appeared McDaniels learned from his mistakes in the shutout and correctly set up ways to give the ball to his best players. Adams finished the game with 10 receptions for 146 yards off 17 targets.
But the Jacksonville Jaguars come roaring back. Doug Pederson’s squad outscored the Raiders, 27-3, after facing a 17-point deficit, to win the game, 27-20.
Rookie Travis Etienne Jr. led the way with 109 yards off 28 carries for two touchdowns. After having an 87.8% win probability, according to ESPN, the Raiders faced a game-winning drive attempt in the fourth quarter with 3:08 left in the game.
On a second-and-2, on their own 39, McDaniels dialed up a pass play three times — all of which unsuccessful — to turn the ball over on downs and effectively end the game.
Prior to the Week 8 shutout, Josh Jacobs had rushed for over 100 yards in three straight games, and he averaged 5.6 yards per carry through the midway point of the season. But McDaniels, for some odd reason, opted to not run the ball, even though traditional and analytical wisdom would say that situation is the most optimal time to run the ball for a first down and keep the drive alive.
The Week 9 loss puts the Raiders at 0-5 in one-score games after going 7-2 in such scenarios last season. Las Vegas is certainly on the wrong end of variance, but it’s not the first time the Raiders have given up a double-digit lead or made a questionable call.
In the franchise’s history, from 1960-2021, the Raiders had blown five 17-point leads. In McDaniels’ first year as head coach, Las Vegas has blown three 17-point leads, according to CBS Sports.
“We’ve gotta learn to play a full four-quarter game,” McDaniels told reporters in his postgame news conference, per team-provided video.
The win for the Jaguars improved their franchise record to 2-116 when trailing by 17 or more points in game, per Josh Dubow of the Associated Press.
In Week 3, Derek Carr and McDaniels admitted the team was still “learning how to win,” and even though owner Mark Davis has stated the head coach’s job is safe, the patience of the Raiders fan base continues to wear thin.
