
The Las Vegas Raiders have more of a challenge on Sunday than some may realize going into their matchup against the Jacksonville Jaguars.
The Raiders desperately need a win on Sunday. They will need their offense to play well, which has not happened often this season. Bradley Locker of Pro Football Focus noted that the Raiders and Jaguars have one of the most intriguing individual matchups on Sunday's slate of games.
"Jaguars-Raiders puts two offenses looking to establish a consistent rhythm against one another. That task seems tougher for a Las Vegas team facing a stingy Jacksonville defense, especially in the slot," Locker said.
"Jakobi Meyers has hauled in only 29 catches for 329 yards this year, but his advanced metrics are a bit better. His 69.3 PFF receiving grade is 29th out of 39 receivers with 40 or more targets, but his average of 5.0 yards after the catch per reception ties for ninth. Meyers’ 1.62 yards per route run in the slot is also 27th, and his eight first downs are tied for 14th."
Locker noted how stiff of a challenge Lewis will present for Meyers and the Raiders' offense. Lewis and the rest of the Jaguars' defensive backfield could swing the game into Jacksonville's favor.
"Jourdan Lewis has fit in seamlessly in Jacksonville, posting a 70.4 PFF coverage grade so far. Among the 19 corners to play 100 or more snaps inside, Lewis sits second in passer rating allowed (62.3), eighth in snaps per reception (8.6), and T-9th in yards per snap (1.06)," Locker said.
"Considering that Meyers has run 61.9% of his routes in the slot this year — and that Lewis has played 56.9% of his defensive snaps there — these two veterans should battle plenty. Additionally, this could very well be Lewis’ final game in silver and black, offering him one last chance to assert himself against top-tier competition."
Heading into Week 9, Raiders Head Coach Pete Carroll noted that the Raiders had a productive set of practices in preparation for the second half of the season. Las Vegas must have a solid performance against Jacksonville on Sunday.
“I can tell you what it felt like at practice. We had a terrific -- the three days before up to Monday, bonus Monday, that we had, and then these days were as well as we've practiced. Everybody can kind of feel that we're feeling good, and that adds to it. And so, hopefully we can come out of here and play good, clean football,” Carroll said.
“We got to do all of the basic things. We got to do a great job in a kicking game. No issues there. We got to take care of the football. This is a big freaking turnover team now. These guys have been on fire getting the ball away from their opponents, and we're going to have to do the kind of things on defense that can keep Trevor [Lawrence] really from controlling the game. And so, we're going to see if we can put that together."
More must-reads:
+
Get the latest news and rumors, customized to your favorite sports and teams. Emailed daily. Always free!