Brock Bowers caught 11 passes for 99 yards and Isaiah Pola-Mao forced two fumbles to lead the Raiders to a 19-15 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday in Las Vegas.
The Raiders ended a league-high 10-game losing streak with their first win since beating the Cleveland Browns 20-16 on Sept. 29.
The game nearly flipped at the end of the third quarter, after Daniel Carlson’s third field-goal attempt of the game went wide right. Three plays later, Mac Jones found an uncovered Brian Thomas Jr. for a 62-yard touchdown that put the Jaguars ahead 14-13 after the extra point.
The Raiders responded, as Aidan O’Connell pulled off an improbable escape from a collapsing pocket to complete a 12-yard pass to Ameer Abdullah on third-and-three. Three plays later, Abudallah pranced into the end zone for the go-ahead score to put the Raiders ahead 19-14. The two-point conversion attempt was no good.
Abdullah ran for 38 yards and a touchdown on seven carries as the Raiders ran for 69 yards as a team. They were without emerging back Sincere McCormick, who was placed on the IR this week with a season-ending ankle injury.
The Raiders were also without star defensive end Maxx Crosby, who also went on IR for the rest of the season with an ankle injury.
The Raiders took a 13-7 lead after Carlson made 49- and 37-yard field goals on successive possessions. The Raiders’ first-half momentum continued on the Jaguars’ next possession, as Pola-Mao punched the ball out of Tank Bigsby’s arms for teammate Tre’von Moehrig to recover.
Pola-Mao forced his second fumble in the closing seconds of the first half, jarring the ball out of the arms of Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange. Thomas Harper made the recovery with nine seconds remaining.
Bigsby opened the scoring, breaking the plane with a 1-yard touchdown run with 1:32 remaining in the first quarter.
Las Vegas answered on its ensuing possession by capping a six-play, 70-yard drive with a 1-yard touchdown run by Alexander Mattison. The run was set up by a 29-yard completion from O’Connell to Tre Tucker two plays earlier, as Tucker maneuvered the sideline for a toe-tap catch.
O’Connell finished with 257 yards on 24-of-38 passing.
Thomas led the Jaguars with 132 yards on nine receptions, while Parker Washington tallied six receptions for 54 yards. Bigsby led Jacksonville with 50 rushing yards on 12 carries.
Mac Jones threw for 247 yards and a touchdown on 25-of-39 passing.
The Raiders outgained Jacksonville 314-308.
–Field Level Media
