Nov 2, 2025; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders safety Tristin McCollum (27) reacts after the loss against the Jacksonville Jaguars at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

The Honest Silver Lining for Disappointing Week 9 Raiders Los

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Fernando Alfaro-Donis | Last updated Nov 3, 2025 11:39 AM ET

Exiting their bye week, the Las Vegas Raiders came out on fire against the Jacksonville Jaguars. The first half may have been slow, with the Raiders entering halftime with a 6 - 3 lead. And yet, things quickly picked up in the second half, and even if the Raiders didn't come out on top, there are still a lot of positives to be taken away from their performance.

Geno Smith had one of, if not the best, performances in his time in the Silver and Black, with a crisp four touchdown to one interception ratio on the night. He was no longer consistently hurting their offense, but instead, elevated it at times. The Raiders benefited from their week of rest in the bye, and if their offense can continue to shine moving forward, they can be the scrappy team they were always meant to be under Pete Carroll.

Silver Lining

Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

Obviously, coming off a bye week, in front of your home crowd, with the game in overtime, the Raiders would've preferred for this to be a win. It would've been a statement win that showed all Carroll needed was time with this roster before he could really start to turn them around.

However, I would argue that their offense made a statement in and of itself. The Raiders posted a season high of 29 points against the Jaguars, and it would've been 31 if Smith's pass hadn't been batted down at the line of scrimmage by Jaguars defensive end DaVon Hamilton.

Kyle Terada-Imagn Images

A healthy Brock Bowers was inserted back into their lineup, and their offense was transformed. The Raiders are such a different team with their best player on the field, who knew? 12 receptions for 127 yards and three touchdowns, it's no surprise that he had the biggest fantasy performance so far in 2026.

Ashton Jeanty had an inefficient game, but they were winning, which allowed him to receive more than ten carries, an encouraging sign following the bye. The more encouraging aspect of Jeanty's game against the Jaguars was how they used him in the passing game, with few receptions for 47 yards and a touchdown. Raider Nation would've loved a win in week 9, but there are a lot of things to love about this team going forward.

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

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