Which Raiders players helped or hurt the team the most in Week 9?

The Raiders entered the fourth quarter with a 9-6 lead Sunday at Allegiant Stadium but couldn’t hold on and fell 30-29 to the Jaguars in overtime.

There were some positives in defeat. Tight end Brock Bowers scored three touchdowns in his first game back from a knee injury. Quarterback Geno Smith had his most efficient game of the season.

But it was all for naught in another loss for the Raiders (2-6).

Here are six players or factors that either helped or hurt the cause Sunday:

Helped

TE Brock Bowers

Bowers was the best player on the field Sunday and finished with 12 catches for 127 yards.

The 22-year-old, who was selected No. 13 overall in the 2024 draft, showed what a difference-maker he can be when he’s healthy. Bowers now has 31 catches for 352 yards in five games this season, and he was limited in three of those with his left knee injury.

RB Ashton Jeanty

Despite offensive coordinator Chip Kelly only calling the rookie’s number 13 times in the running game, the No. 6 overall pick in April’s draft finished with 89 total yards and a touchdown.

Jeanty, 21, is too good to be marginalized the way he was Sunday. He finished with 42 yards on his 13 rushing attempts and added five catches for 47 yards and a touchdown in the passing game. The Raiders need to feature Jeanty and Bowers as much as possible to put maximum pressure on opposing defenses.

QB Geno Smith

Smith has struggled this season. His 11 interceptions is tied for the most in the NFL. But he played a solid game against the Jaguars, completing 29 of his 39 passes for 284 yards with four touchdowns and one pick.

Smith was especially good in the fourth quarter and overtime. The Raiders, excluding a kneel-down at the end of regulation, finished the game with three consecutive touchdown drives.

Hurt

K Daniel Carlson

Carlson missed an extra point in the second quarter, which played a critical role in the outcome Sunday. It meant the Jaguars could tie the game with a field goal when they got the ball back down 23-20 with 1:52 remaining in regulation.

Jacksonville would have needed to try for a touchdown if Carlson had made the PAT.

He also left the opening kickoff short of the landing zone, giving the Jaguars the ball at the 40-yard line to start the game.

Run defense

The Raiders whiffed on far too many tackles on defense, especially in the second half. Jacksonville finished with 151 yards and three touchdowns on 42 rushing attempts.

The Jaguars, thanks in part to the missed tackles, scored on all five of their second-half possessions. Three of their four drives in the fourth quarter and overtime ended with touchdowns.

LB Devin White

White finished with a team-high 16 tackles but made a critical mistake in the fourth quarter.

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao, with the Raiders up 16-13 with less than eight minutes to play in regulation, tackled Jacksonville running back Travis Etienne Jr. for a 4-yard loss. The Jaguars were about to face a second-and-14 from the Raiders’ 44 yard-line.

White was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty, however, to give Jacksonville a first down at the 30. Etienne scored five plays later to give his team the lead. It was the kind of miscue the Raiders could not afford, given how their defense played in the second half.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.