JACKSONVILLE – Senior writer John Oehser each week during the 2024 regular season will speak with a writer or media member covering the Jaguars' opponent.
Up this week:
The Athletic Las Vegas Raiders writer Vic Tafur on the Raiders as they enter Sunday’s 2024 Week 16 game against the Jaguars at Allegiant Field in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Q: The Raiders have lost 10 consecutive games and are 2-12 after losing to the Atlanta Falcons at Allegiant Stadium Monday. How did the Raiders get here and what's the state of the Raiders entering Sunday?
A: The key issues have been the quarterback play. It has been a mess. It has been terrible. [Former Jaguars quarterback] Gardner Minshew had the worst year of his career, then got hurt. Aidan O'Connell has been pretty mediocre. They were forced to play Desmond Ridder [against the Falcons], a guy off the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad pretty much off the street, and he wasn't ready to play in this offense. The quarterbacks have been a mess, the offense has been terrible and the running game has been bad. They finally got some good news there with running back Sincere McCormick (175 yards rushing in four games before the loss to Atlanta), and he hurt his ankle against the Falcons and is out for the season. They fired the offensive coordinator, Luky Getsy, after nine games and it hasn't gotten better since. Defensively, they have five starters out for the year. They've done a pretty good job despite that. Defensive coordinator Patrick Graham does a nice jog scheming stuff up, so they have still been competitive because their defense can keep them in games. Those are the big things why they have lost 10 games in a row.
Q: Talk about the quarterback situation a bit more.
A: Ridder runs pretty well. They tried some run-pass-option stuff Monday, but I don't think he'll play again this year. O'Connell had a pretty good workout before Monday's game. He has gone from being carted off the field two weeks ago [with a knee injury] to I think he'll play next week, so he's done a nice job getting back. I think Aidan realizes this is probably his last shot at making a claim to be a starting quarterback, so I think he wants to seize the opportunity. [Raiders Head Coach] Antonio] Pierce said Tuesday he's trending upwards, but I definitely suspect he will play on Sunday. He has a quick release, and has a pretty decent arm. He knows the offense better than the other quarterbacks they had this year. He has had some flashes. He has some arm talent, and he has pretty solid accuracy. The thing does best is get rid of the ball. He does not waste time in the pocket and take sacks he shouldn't take. He's limited. He can't move. He's not going to get out of trouble, which is definitely his downside. But if he gets rid the ball and gets [tight ends] Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer going, there's some hope for the offense.
Q: It's a tough question with the quarterback situation, but what do they want to be offensively?
A: The goal offensively with Pierce whoever his coordinator is is he wants to run the ball first and foremost, then set up play action. He wants the run game to set up the passing game, then take some shots down field. That was a good plan in training camp when they had Davante Adams because Adams is one of the best receivers in the league. Now, he's gone. They've turned to Brock and he has become the go-to guy. That's tough for a rookie. He has done a great job, but in the last month or so he's getting a lot of different coverages and double teams. He's getting bracketed. Teams know he's the main guy, so it has been a lot tougher for Brock the last month.
Q: The Raiders rank 12th in the NFL in yards allowed (329.5 per game) and 27th in points allowed (26.9 per game). What have they done well defensively?
A: It has been guys stepping up. They have [defensive end] K'Lavon Chaisson, former first-round selection by the Jaguars. Guys who were first-round picks, sometimes it takes them a while. He has all the traits. You see why he was picked early. He has done a good job here [with three sacks this season]. They still have [linebacker] Tyree Wilson, the first-round selection from 2023. He has had a really slow start, but he has a career-high four sacks this season. [Defensive tackle] Adam Butler has been solid in the middle. They have some pieces who can make plays and lead other guys by example. But they have lost [defensive end Maxx Crosby (ankle), [defensive end]Malcolm Koonce (knee), [defensive tackle] Christian Wilkins (foot), [safety] Marcus Epps (knee) and [cornerback] Jakorian Bennett (shoulder). That's five guys who are probably five of their best guys.
Q: What does the end of the season bring with Pierce in his first full season as head coach?
A: That's a big question. I think with Pierce one thing he has going for him is that even in this losing streak they have kind of been competitive. They haven't gotten blown out, which is important to [Owner] Mark Davis. [Davis] realizes the defensive injuries and the quarterback mess. I think Mark wants to see a strong finish as far as not only being competitive, but he really wants win. Fans are going to hate that because they want the highest draft pick possible. But I don't think Mark wants to go out on a 13-game losing streak. For him, that would be worse than securing a top pick. I think Mark wants to win, probably especially this week at home against the Jaguars. They're still trying. They're not tanking. That's what fans want, but the Raiders want to win.
