Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith (7) takes the snap against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images Kirby Lee-Imagn Images

Grading the Raiders' Week 9 Loss to the Jaguars

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Ezekiel Trezevant | Last updated Nov 4, 2025 4:00 PM ET

To say the Las Vegas Raiders missed Brock Bowers would be an understatement.

Bowers Blows Up

John Breech of CBS Sports graded every team's Week 9 performance. Breech noted that even in defeat, the Raiders played well overall. A Raiders offense that has struggled all season looked much different with its best player back in the mix. Breech gave the Raiders a B.

"The return of Brock Bowers was a huge boost for a Raiders offense that was in desperate need for a spark. In his first action since Week 4, Bowers went off, catching 12 passes for 127 yards and three touchdowns. With Bowers on the field, Geno Smith definitely felt more comfortable running the offense, especially during a fourth quarter where he went a perfect 9 o f 9 for 108 yards and two touchdown," Breech said.

"The problem for the Raiders is that their defense can't stop anyone: The unit has now surrendered at least 25 points in five of the Raiders' past six games. Maxx Crosby, who had three tackles for a loss, was dominant, but he didn't get much help. At 2-6, the Raiders might want to start answering their phone and selling off a few players heading into Tuesday's trade deadline."

Following the Raiders' loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, Pete Carroll explained how much of a difference a healthy Bowers makes. Unsurprisingly, the Raiders' offense looked completely different with a healthy Bowers on the field.

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Bowers' three-touchdown performance helped the Raiders on the scoreboard, but his mere presence on the field helped the rest of the Raiders' offense succeed.

"This is what we've been missing, it can't be more obvious. You can see Brock [Bowers] is such a good football player. This is what we watched all summer-long and offseason, those guys hooking up. It just makes everything better. You have a go-to guy. I thought Geno [Smith] played a great football game today,” Carroll said.

He played excellently under the pressure of it and trying to finish it. Like you said, 9-9 in the fourth quarter, that's what we know. The things that we saw earlier in the year when we were trying to patch together just didn't seem like that was the character of the team that we would be. I think this is a glimpse of what our future is about. Let's see if we can't get this thing rolling."

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This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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