Jaguars Must Prove They're a Class Above the Raiders

Jaguars approached with caution

The good news for the Jacksonville Jaguars is that their schedule is significantly more manageable after their bye, starting with Week 9's matchup against a 2-5 Las Vegas Raiders team. However, the last time the NFL saw the Jags and the Raiders take the field this season, they didn't look all that different.

Both were getting blown out by established contenders, with Jacksonville falling to the Los Angeles Rams 35-7 and Las Vegas getting shut out by the Kansas City Chiefs 31-0.

At 4-3, with the wins they already have under their belt, the Jaguars should be heavily favored against the reeling and vastly disappointing Raiders. However, between the holes that Jacksonville had exposed and their historical inadequacy, people aren't ready to pay this team the benefit of the doubt yet.

NFL.com's panel of editors had four out of five members side with the Jaguars in Week 9, but by only four points on average. Ali Bhanpuri predicted a narrow 25-21 victory for Jacksonville:

"The Jags and Raiders emerge from the bye hoping to remove the stink from their respective Week 7 blowouts. Both also look to keep pace in an ultra-competitive AFC playoff race, which has seen the cream rise to the top (excuse my coach-speak).

Simply put, Vegas has to have this one. Reinforcements, in the form of Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, should help beleaguered QB1 Geno Smith and the Raiders' 27th-ranked passing attack, which in turn should open up lanes for Ashton Jeanty. If not, well, we saw what that looked like a couple weeks ago, when Vegas mustered just 30 offensive plays in Kansas City."

"The Jags are far from flawless themselves, struggling to generate and prevent pressure, while seeing their turnover tally stagnate (they still rank second despite zero takeaways over their last two games) and their penalty count continue to rise. So, two imperfect teams, both desperate to get back in the win column.

While I don't think either squad will look as poor as it did last time out, I think the Jags' overall talent advantage will allow them to overcome their inevitable self-inflicted errors in a way Liam Coen's team couldn't when it was routed by the Rams two weeks ago. Don't be surprised if this one is messy and seesaws throughout."

If the Jaguars want to be seen as real threats this season, they don't need to just win against the Raiders. They need to blow the doors off in Las Vegas, regardless of their discouraging injuries.

To see if the Jaguars can defy expectations against the Raiders, follow us on X (Twitter) @JaguarsOnSI and @_John_Shipley.

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