Jaguars Hit New Embarrassing Low With Brutal Loss vs. Raiders

The Jacksonville Jaguars just lost to the team with the worst record in the NFL in their 19-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) throws against the Las Vegas Raiders in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

With the 2024 season and all of the disappointment surrounding it now finally drawing to a close, the Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders had two things to play for on Sunday: pride and draft slots.

When it came to the on-field performance, the Jaguars instead showed little to be proud of. The next step in one of the most disappointing seasons in franchise history was a 19-14 loss to the worst team in the NFL entering the contest.

If the question for the Jaguars was where is rock bottom, then they have finally answered it. Rock bottom is exactly where the Jaguars are now.

The Jaguars' first drive of the game was highlighted by Tank Bigsby picking up a key fourth-and-inches before the drive stalled out, but Jacksonville suffered a key loss before they punted with left tackle Walker Little limping off the field and into the locker room with an ankle injury.

The two teams traded punts after early mistakes, with the Raiders drawing a holding penalty on a successful scramble and with Mac Jones missing a wide-open Brian Thomas Jr. on a downfield pass on the second drive of the game.

After a pair of early sacks from defensive tackles Maason Smith and Arik Armstead on the opening drives, the Jaguars' defense set an early tone. As a result of this, a 26-yard return by Devin Duvernay, and a penalty on the Raiders' punt coverage team, Jacksonville started their third drive at the Raiders' 29-yard line.

Thomas would go on to break the Jaguars' record for most catches by a rookie on his first catch of the game, a 16-yard catch on third down to get the Jaguars inside the 10. After another penalty on the Raiders, Bigsby rushed for a touchdown from one yard out to give the Jaguars a 7-0 lead.

A 13-yard scramble by Aidan O'Connell and a 24-yard catch by Jakobi Meyers helped the Raiders respond and get into Jacksonville territory. One play later, a 29-yard catch from Tre Tucker against Tyson Campbell got the Raiders down to the one-yard line, setting up an Alexander Mattison touchdown to tie the game at 7-7.

The Raiders took a 13-7 lead after a pair of field goals, with the Jaguars' defense going from a strength to a weakness as the offense continued to stall out.

The Jaguars' offense was overmatched in the first half, especially in comparison to the Raiders offense. Outside of scoring on a drive that started at the Raiders' 29-yard line, the Jaguars failed to generate any momentum or explosive plays.

To make matters worse, a Bigsby fumble snuffed another potential chance for the Jaguars to climb back in the game. And despite the Jaguars getting near midfield at the end of the first half, another fumble by a second-year player took points off the board. This time, it was tight end Brenton Strange.

Jacksonville was seemingly building momentum on their first drive of the second-half until a third-down sack by former Jaguars first-rounder K'Lavon Chaisson ended their drive, giving Chaisson a form of revenge against the team that picked him and then let him walk in free agency.

Things kept getting worse for the Jaguars when it came to all three units, with another stalled Jaguars drive forcing Logan Cooke's sixth punt of the game. This time, the normally reliable Cooke shanked it, giving the Raiders the ball at Jacksonville's 33 with a 20-yard punt.

Jacksonville did finally catch a break on the following drive after Smith deflected a pass at the line of scrimmage on third-down. On the next snap, Carlson missed a 46-yard field goal that would have made it a two-score game.

Just a few plays later, the Jaguars hit their first explosive play of the day with a 62-yard touchdown from Jones to Thomas, giving Thomas over 1,000 yards on the season and giving the Jaguars a 14-13 lead.

The Jaguars' lead wouldn't last long, however, as Ameer Abdullah would score from seven yards out on the following drive to give the Raiders a 19-14 lead with 11:26 left after Brock Bowers made big catch after big catch against Jacksonville's secondary.

Jacksonville's defense made a stand on the following drive thanks to an offensive pass interference on the Raiders, leading to the Jaguars getting the ball at their own seven-yard like with 2:44 left.

A 20-yard pass to Thomas helped the Jaguars get near midfield, but eventually the Jaguars were faced with a 4th-and-1 at their own 48. They got pushed back even further after a Cole Van Lanen holding call, giving them a 4th-and-11 with the game on the line.

Needing 11 yards, Jones got the ball to D'Ernest Johnson for just an eight-yard gain, giving the Raiders the ball and ending the game.

The Jaguars will now fall to 3-12 on the season. The Jaguars will host the Tennessee Titans in their home finale next week.

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