Raiders Today

Social Media Reacts to Raiders Snapping Losing Streak

The Las Vegas Raiders defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 16. Here's what people were saying about the win.

Matthew Schmidt

Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) throws against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
Dec 22, 2024; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell (12) throws against the Jacksonville Jaguars in the first half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images / Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
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The Las Vegas Raiders faced the Jacksonville Jaguars in a battle of two of the NFL's worst teams on Sunday in a game where most fans were probably more worried about draft positioning than actually winning.

The Raiders ultimately pulled out a 19-14 victory, which likely destroyed their chances of landing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft.

That means possibly no Shedeur Sanders.

Both teams had absolutely nothing to lose heading into the contest, which was why the Jaguars actually went for it on 4th-and-1 from their own 39-yard line on the opening drive.

But, as the Raiders' defense has done for much of the year, it ended up holding serve, and Jacksonville's fourth-down conversion ended up being a case of no harm, no foul.

Meanwhile, on Las Vegas' first possession, tight end Brock Bowers got things started with a 32-yard catch-and-run, putting him over 1,000 receiving yards on the season and vaulting his name into some pretty elite company.

Unfortunately, the Raiders were not able to capitalize with points on the drive. The Jaguars then struck first thanks to some great field position, as running back Tank Bigsby capped a six-play, 29-yard drive with a 1-yard rushing touchdown.

Not surprisingly, fans were not thrilled about Las Vegas' offensive showing early on in the affair, as it was just the latest showing of ineptitude from a unit that entered Week 16 averaging just 17.5 points per game.

The Raiders trailed 7-0 after one quarter of play.

But at least it was one step closer to potentially landing the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, right?

Not so fast, though. The Raiders actually answered right at the beginning of the second quarter, embarking on a six-play, 70-yard series that featured a couple of big plays from Aidan O'Connell—including a 13-yard scramble—and ended in a rushing score by Alexander Mattison.

Las Vegas then proceeded to largely control the rest of the half, putting six more points on the board via field goals to take a 13-7 lead into the break.

Much to the chagrin of Raiders fans who wanted to tank, of course.

Las Vegas' defense resumed shining in the third quarter, as defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson continued to make a name for himself, and against his former Jaguars squad, no less.

Still, this really was a painful battle to watch. I guess that's expected when you have two NFL teams vying for the No. 1 overall pick in the draft, though.

By the end of the third period, Jacksonville had grabbed the lead back after Mac Jones threw a 62-yard bomb to Brian Thomas Jr. in a total bused coverage by the Raiders.

It also came on the heels of Las Vegas missing a field goal.

Cue the conspiracies.

That was until the Raiders once again regained the lead in the fourth quarter on a short touchdown run by Ameer Abdullah.

The waves of emotions of Las Vegas fans throughout the game were certainly entertaining, as you could clearly tell that the Raiders faithful wanted their team to lose (which is fair, considering what was at stake for the future).

Heck, maybe O'Connell is the answer after all?

In all seriousness, this actually was a rather costly win for the Raiders, as their chances of landing Shedeur Sanders in April definitely took a massive hit.

Understandably, Raiders fans weren't feeling great about it.

The Raiders will face the New Orleans Saints next Sunday.

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Matthew Schmidt
MATTHEW SCHMIDT

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