How the Jaguars Failed to Build Upon Win

The Jacksonville Jaguars looked arguably the best they had all season last week against the New York Jets. However, they failed to take advantage of yet another opportunity for a win.

Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) makes a pass attempt against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second quarter at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images / Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Last week, the Jacksonville Jaguars took the New York Jets down to the wire in a game Jacksonville could have won with a better defensive effort. However, their offense played well against the Jets, producing one of its best games of the season in a losing effort.

Still, the Jaguars showed enough against the New York Jets to be hopefully for their remaining games this season. A cross-country trip to face arguably the worst team in the National Football League was the perfect opportunity to build upon last week's productive offensive showing.

Jacksonville did the opposite, scoring their fifth-fewest points in a game this season, against a Raiders team that has been riddled with a similar number of injuries. Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones noted how the Jaguars failed to play a clean football game, leading to yet another loss.

"Yeah. I mean, every week's so different,” Jones said. “And I do think that's a better defense than what people give them credit for. So, hats off to them. And, like I said, just got to make more plays early and take away the self-inflicted errors and turnovers, and that's kind of been the story this whole year. So, definitely going to respond and see how we can play better next  week." 

Like the Jaguars, the Raiders have suffered injuries to some of their most critical players, especially on the defensive side of the ball. The Raiders were playing with their backup quarterback, their third quarterback that has played this season and the Raiders defense was missing nearly have nearly half of its defense.

Jones refused to use the team's injuries as an excuse for their struggles.

"Yeah, it's the NFL," Jones said. "I think a lot of teams are obviously very healthy later in the year, and sometimes that plays a part. But it's the NFL. You're going to have guys pop in there. Obviously, [WR] Gabe [Davis] and [WR] Christian [Kirk] and everybody's not out there, so I feel like they've done a good job stepping up and making plays. And we can start to finish the game and really start faster, so that we're not in that position, and we have more points on the board."

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