By Tashan Reed, Vic Tafur and Jelani Scott
In a close contest carrying major NFL Draft order implications, the Las Vegas Raiders (3-12) snapped their 10-game losing streak on Sunday after claiming a 19-14 home win over the Jacksonville Jaguars (3-12).
The Raiders got solid performances from their defense and rookie tight end Brock Bowers to give their fans something to cheer about amid another lost season with the victory. But, considering that Las Vegas dropped from the No. 2 pick to No. 6 in April’s NFL Draft, the good vibes may be short-lived.
After holding on to a 13-7 lead for much of the game, Las Vegas overcame a missed field and a Jags touchdown late in the third quarter by responding with a 10-play, 70-yard scoring drive to take the lead for good.
Las Vegas’ offense was led by Bowers’ 11-catch, 99-yard effort. He is on pace to next week set the NFL rookie record for catches (105) and tight end receiving yards (1,076) in a season. The defense also held firm to allow its lowest point total of 2024.
Raiders lose ground in race for No. 1 pick
With the win over the Jaguars, the Raiders lost ground in the race for the No. 1 pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
The New York Giants are now the only two-win team in the NFL, and hold the inside track for the top pick. Meanwhile, the Raiders, who entered Sunday with the No. 2 pick, dropped to pick No. 6 by beating Jacksonville. Las Vegas is now behind the New England Patriots (3-12), who are currently slotted at No. 5 after losing Sunday, Jacksonville, Cleveland Browns, Tennessee Titans and the Giants.
The Raiders beat the Browns (3-12) and Jaguars (3-12), so that’s why those teams are ahead of them in the draft order. Las Vegas hasn’t played the Titans (3-12) or the Patriots (3-12), but Tennessee and New England remain ahead in the draft order because both clubs have a weaker strength of schedule than the Raiders to close the year.
Given the Giants, Browns and Titans are all teams with big question marks at quarterback, this win could prove costly for the Raiders in the event that they plan to draft a quarterback in the first round. Although Aidan O’Connell was OK against Jacksonville on Sunday, that won’t stop the Raiders from exploring their options at the position in the offseason. — Tashan Reed, Raiders beat writer
Raiders D showed signs of life
The Raiders defense was leading them to their first victory of the season … until it wasn’t. Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao had two forced fumbles and the Raiders led 13-7 until they forgot to cover Brian Thomas Jr. on one play and fell behind for a few minutes.
Pola-Mao has had an up-and-down season replacing injured veteran Marcus Epps, but the third-year player’s hit on Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby erased a big run in the second quarter. And then, just before the half, he lowered the hammer on tight end Brenton Strange for another lost fumble when the Jaguars were driving for a field goal.
The Raiders are last in the league in takeaways this season, a big reason why they had lost 10 straight. — Vic Tafur, Raiders beat writer
Thomas stars again as Jags rookie continues to shine
Mac Jones doesn’t take many shots downfield, but he had a chance to cash in on all three of them Sunday.
After Jones threw a bad ball to Brian Thomas Jr. on the first one, the rookie dropped the next one (there was penalty anyway). But Thomas caught a 62-yard heave from Jones and jogged into the end zone with 54 seconds left in the third quarter to give the Jaguars a 14-13 lead.
Thomas was quiet early but finished with nine catches for 131 yards and was the only offensive threat the Jaguars had. They only averaged 3.5 yards per carry running the ball and Jones was content to dink and dunk his way to a 25-of-39 effort for 247 yards and a touchdown. — Tafur
BRIAN THOMAS JR.!
📺: #JAXvsLV on CBS/Paramount+
📱: https://t.co/waVpO8ZBqG pic.twitter.com/Plt8MEmW32— NFL (@NFL) December 22, 2024
Ameer Abdullah steps up in crunch time
Ameer Abdullah, a 10th year veteran, has been one of the many veterans telling the younger Raiders not to let go of the rope during a 10-game losing streak. And Sunday, the running back gave it a good tug with a seven-yard touchdown run and four big catches down the stretch to lead the Raiders to a win over the visiting Jags.
Abdullah, the leader of the special teams unit, has waited for his opportunities after injuries to Alexander Mattison, Zamir White and Sincere McCormick. He played well in spurts but was back behind Mattison on Sunday. He only had three touches in the first half but came up big in the end, and we’ll see if it moves the needle at all in coach Antonio Pierce retaining his job. — Tafur
Required reading
- NFL Week 16 scores and live updates: Playoff picture, standings, inactives, predictions, betting odds and more
- Which Raiders players are worth holding on to for 2025 and beyond?
- Raiders rookie Jonah Laulu is ‘being disruptive,’ making an impact for his hometown team
(Photo: Stephen R. Sylvanie / Imagn Images)
