Potential Raiders Building Blocks Have Been on Display

The Las Vegas Raiders' win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday proved the Raiders have more than a few players they can build around next season.

Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders guard Jackson Powers-Johnson (58) enters the field before the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders' 10-game losing streak landed them in prime position to secure one of the top two or three picks in the upcoming NFL Draft. After finishing last season with the 13th overall pick in the draft and outside of the range to draft one of the top quarterbacks available, the Raiders ending this season with one of the top picks seemed much more enticing than where they picked last season.

While the amount of losing the Raiders have done this season has rightfully placed the focus on their draft positioning and plans, Sunday's win over the Jaguars was not as bad as many have made it out to seem. With the Raiders sitting at 3-12, dropping a few spots in the draft is unideal at this point.

However, the Raiders' win had more positives than negatives when focusing on things other than draft positioning. The Jaguars are far from one of the top teams in the league. Their record and roster are not much better than the Raiders', if at all.

Still, in a competition between two of the worst teams in the league, the Raiders proved they are not the worst. Las Vegas also excelled at numerous areas they have struggled in this season.

One of the many positives for the Raiders was their offense's success in ways they had seldomly done this season. Las Vegas ran the ball well enough to extend drives and offense's success in ways it had seldom keep the Jaguars' defense off balance.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell had arguably his most impressive game of the season, throwing for yards, touchdowns, and interceptions. Although O'Connell did not throw a touchdown, he did not turn the ball over either, which is all the Raiders have needed from their quarterback position at times this season.

In addition to steadily guiding the Raiders offense through the air, O'Connell added a career-high 13-yard rush on one of the Raiders' touchdown drives, adding a new dynamic to the offense. O'Connell may not be the team's franchise quarterback, but he showed Sunday what he can do when everyone around him does their job adequately.

Everyone included the Raiders defense. Las Vegas' shorthanded defense played one of their best games of the season. The Raiders entered Sunday's matchup as second-worst in the league in forced turnovers, but forced two turnovers against the Jaguars.

It is worth noting that the Jaguars are the only team that has forced fewer turnovers than the Raiders. Forced turnovers were the difference in the game, as one took away Jaguars points that were almost guaranteed as they were entering the red zone at the time.

The Raiders' win over the Jaguars displayed many youthful options they can likely depend on and build around moving forward.

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