JACKSONVILLE – Each Saturday during the 2019 season, nine Jaguars experts – Rick Ballou, Tony Boselli, Frank Frangie, Jeff Lageman, Brent Martineau, John Oehser, Brian Sexton, J.P. Shadrick and Ashlyn Sullivan – will break down the following day's Jaguars matchup.
Up this week:
The Oakland Raiders at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum in Oakland, California.
Frank Frangie, Radio Voice of the Jaguars
The Jaguars will win if: They can find a way to replace the lost catches of not having wide receiver DJ Chark Jr., who has been by far their best receiver and who is out with an ankle injury. They also must control running back Josh Jacobs, who returns for the Raiders this week. And they must overcome the emotion of it being the last NFL football game ever played in the Black Hole. That is a lot to overcome. They also must hit some plays down the field, a weakness of late.
The Raiders will win if: They can snap out of a funk, much like the Jaguars. They have lost three consecutive games by at least 21 points. But they will get a boost by getting Jacobs back and by playing in front of the Oakland fans for the last time. They will have all the momentum.
As Frangie sees it: This one will be tough for the Jaguars because of the emotion in the stadium, the Jaguars' recent struggles and injuries to frontline players. Their best chance is to strike early and get the Raiders feeling like, "Here we go again." The Jaguars must take advantage of the Raiders' recent struggles.
Jeff Lageman, Jaguars analyst and former Jaguars defensive end
The Jaguars will win if: They can find the energy and excitement for competing. The Jaguars' performance has declined steadily in recent weeks. Trying to find it once again will not be easy with a team playing out the remainder of the games with no chance to make the postseason.
The Raiders will win if: They protect the football. The Raiders have been minus-eight in takeaway-giveaway margin over their last three games, all of which have been losses. The excitement will be incredible with this being the Raiders' final game in Oakland. Vegas awaits the silver and black, but this team surely wants to give the Raiders' fans a proper sendoff.
As Lageman sees it: The Raiders' offense will be too much for a Jaguars defense playing backups at linebacker. Oakland's offensive line is strong in the middle and they have a fantastic tight end in Darren Waller, who has 72 receptions this season and who runs like a wide receiver. The Raiders' youthful defense is suspect but has an even matchup with a Jaguars offense averaging 11.4 points over the last five games. The autumn wind is a Raider this week, blowing one last time for the Black Hole in Oakland.
Brent Martineau, Action Sports Jax Sports Director
The Jaguars will win if: Rookie quarterback Gardner Minshew II has a big-time performance. The way the Jaguars' defense is playing, Minshew needs to spark the offense and might have to score 30 points to give the Jaguars a chance. The Raiders' defense is suspect, but let's be honest: The Jaguars' offense has been, too - scoring only 57 points in the last five games.
The Raiders will win if: They hit on explosive plays. The Jaguars have been allowing double-digit explosive plays in this slide. Oakland has some of the firepower to do that; if the Raiders click, it will be a long afternoon again for the Jaguars.
As Martineau sees it: I'm in let's-just-keep-it-close mode. The Jaguars are a bad football team, and this is the final game for the Raiders in Oakland. The emotion for the Raiders and any chance of the postseason still on the line will carry Oakland to a 31-20 victory on the West Coast.
John Oehser, jaguars.com senior writer
The Jaguars will win if: They play worlds better than they have the last five games. The Jaguars must stop the run and pass better than they have the last month and a half, and Minshew must play better than he has in his last two full games. There are other "musts" for this team, but those are good starts.
The Raiders will win if: They play better defense than they have the last three weeks. The Raiders are a capable offense, and it's hard to imagine them not scoring in the 20s against a Jaguars defense that is struggling mightily. If the Raiders can hold the Jaguars to three scores or less, they should win their last game in Oakland.
As Oehser sees it: It's difficult to pick the Jaguars right now. That's what happens when you lose five consecutive games by 17 or more points. The Raiders are struggling to an equal degree, but give the home team the edge Sunday.
Brian Sexton, jaguars.com senior correspondent
The Jaguars will win if: The Jaguars will win if they can force Raiders quarterback Derek Carr to turn the ball over. Their only formula for winning is takeaways and short fields. Nothing else is working well enough. If they only have to navigate 30-to-40 yards, maybe they can get lucky.
The Raiders will win if: They block and tackle. As long as the Raiders do the little things well, they have enough talent and motivation to beat a Jacksonville team that is currently among the league's worst at blocking and tackling.
As Sexton sees it: The Raiders will win this one. The Jaguars haven't won in nearly two months and they haven't won on the West Coast in nearly 15 years. If the same Jaguars who have lost five in a row by at least 17 points arrive in Oakland, I can't think of any reason why either would change this week.
J.P. Shadrick, jaguars.com reporter/editor
The Jaguars will win if: The defense can get the Raiders off the field and get a couple takeaways. Extra possessions would be helpful for a Jaguars offense trying to get things together.
The Raiders will win if: They follow the script the last few weeks and roll through the Jaguars defense. If the Raiders get an early lead and a couple of scores or more, it could be another long day for the Jaguars.
As Shadrick sees it: The Raiders haven't played well the last three weeks, but this is their final game ever at the Oakland Coliseum and emotions will be running high among the fans in the stadium. Good luck not getting caught up in it, especially if the Raiders get an early lead. Let's be honest, though: it is tough for the Jaguars in any stadium and any time zone right now.
Ashlyn Sullivan, Digital reporter and host
The Jaguars will win if: They use the atmosphere to their advantage. Many Jaguars players have expressed how excited they are to play the final game in Oakland and have said they will use the chaos to fuel them throughout the game. The Jaguars have needed to add fuel to their fire the past five weeks, especially in the second half. Maybe a crazy atmosphere like Oakland is just what the Jaguars need to win.
The Raiders will win if: Jacobs has a day. The Jaguars' linebackers are completely depleted due to injuries and they had major troubles stopping the run when the starters were healthy a couple weeks back. This week, Jaguars defensive end Calais Campbell applauded Jacobs' tough running style and said stopping him will be key on Sunday. If they can stop him, they have a chance to win.
As Sullivan sees it: Of the remaining three games, I have the best feeling about this game. The Jaguars feed off having a chip on their shoulder and an "us-against-the-world" mentality; they're going to get that this week. The Raiders have suffered three consecutive blowout losses and aren't playing good football right now. I can't predict the Jaguars will win; they have given me no reason to believe that. But I do expect this game to be close and it will be a fight to the end.
