3 takeaways from Raiders’ loss: Another blown double-digit lead
Three takeaways from the Raiders’ 27-20 loss to the Jaguars on Sunday at TIAA Bank Field in Jacksonville, Florida:
1. Another meltdown
The Raiders lost for the third time when leading by at least 17 points.
Only two other teams in NFL history have lost three games in which they led by at least 17 points. The 2020 Chargers and 2003 Falcons were the others.
The Raiders had done so only five times from 1960 to 2021.
They fell to 0-5 in one-score games, and there was plenty of blame to go around.
After an explosive first half, Derek Carr and Davante Adams were shut down the rest of the game.
The offense again had the ball with a chance to take the lead late, but Carr’s pass to Hunter Renfrow sailed high and out of his reach with 2:30 to play. Then, a late desperation drive in the final minute after a Jaguars’ field goal never got going.
Defensively, the Raiders couldn’t generate pressure or find a way to get off the field consistently on third down in the second half and allowed Jacksonville quarterback Trevor Lawrence to get into a rhythm.
It all added up to a defeat against a team that had lost five straight games and was coming off a game in London with no bye week in between.
The Raiders lost their first five road games for the first time since 2014 and fifth time in franchise history and are tied with the Steelers for the second-worst record in the AFC at 2-6, ahead of only the Texans. They return home after a disastrous two-game trip for a matchup with the Colts on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium with no more margin for error in the final nine games.
2. Run game and pass rush stay home
The Raiders’ rushing attack was bottled up for the second straight game after running back Josh Jacobs had been on the best stretch of his career.
The defense also failed to record a sack in either of the two games on the trip.
Jacobs eclipsed 140 yards in three straight games, which included wins over the Texans and Broncos sandwiched around a one-point loss in Kansas City before the team hit the road.
But after he was held to 43 yards in a negative game script last week, Jacobs was limited to 67 yards on 17 carries Sunday in a game the Raiders led for much of the way.
It was the second time this season he was held to fewer than 4 yards per carry. Zamir White was the only other Raiders player to attempt a rush, which went for a loss of 1 yard.
The pass rush was equally silenced on the road after entering the two-game trip with at least one sack in five straight games.
Lawrence was rarely pressured, a major factor in him completing 25 of 31 passes. He took advantage of that level of comfort in the pocket to convert 9 of 15 third-down opportunities.
3. Adams is still good
There was little question the superstar wide receiver was going to bounce back after one of the worst games of his illustrious career last week.
But what he did in the first half Sunday was special, as Adams torched the Jaguars’ secondary early and often.
After catching one pass for 3 yards in a loss at New Orleans, Adams had six catches for 88 yards and a touchdown on the second drive of the game alone.
He finished the first half with nine receptions for 146 yards and two touchdowns, but was shut down after halftime.
Adams’ lone catch of the second half went for zero yards, and he did not have a reception after the 8:03 mark of the third quarter.
Carr completed his first 10 attempts intended for Adams, but missed on all seven throws in his direction in the fourth quarter.
It was the first time in his career that he has had more than 100 yards and at least two touchdowns in a half and marked the fifth-best mark in any half for a receiver in franchise history.
Adams is third in NFL history with 21 games of at least 10 receptions, behind Antonio Brown and Andre Johnson.
Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on Twitter.
