Jacksonville Jaguars
Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Oakland Raiders: Friday Fact or Fiction
Jacksonville Jaguars

Jacksonville Jaguars vs. Oakland Raiders: Friday Fact or Fiction

Updated Mar. 4, 2020 11:21 p.m. ET

Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders head coach Jack Del Rio looks on prior to the game against the Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

With some tough road games coming, the Jacksonville Jaguars have to take care of business at home this Sunday against the Oakland Raiders.

Before the regular season, this weekend’s matchup with the Oakland Raiders was billed as one of the most intriguing games of the year for the Jacksonville Jaguars. It serves as a point of direct comparison for two teams that should be on the same upward trajectory.

    The similarities are evident – both teams deploy an offense spearheaded by a young quarterback drafted in 2014; both have promising skill position players capable of putting up big numbers; both have some high-priced defensive free agents.

    ADVERTISEMENT

    The differences are also quite obvious – one team is 4-2 and appears to be a legitimate playoff contender, while the other is struggling to regain respect after starting 0-3.

    You’d be hard-pressed to find anyone who thinks the Jaguars are better than the Raiders right now, but that could change this Sunday. The Jaguars were inexplicably favored in this game by Vegas (it’s moved to a pick ’em) meaning there is some thought the struggling offense led by Blake Bortles could get right against one of the leakier defenses in the league.

    Despite the flashes of brilliance by some defensive players for Jacksonville, this game is likely to be a shootout. That means Bortles needs to shake off whatever mental blocks he has that are keeping him from connecting with his receivers down the field and start generating some big plays. If not, Jaguar fans could be subjected to yet another embarrassing home blowout.

    So what’s going to actually happen this Sunday when the Jaguars take the field at home for the first times since an agonizing loss to the Ravens? Can they pull themselves to 3-3 and the thick of the AFC South race? Click ahead to see my “rock solid” predictions:

    Oct 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52) celebrates after a sack against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-USA TODAY Sports

    Khalil Mack will get a sack: FACT

    The 2014 draft is going to be a fascinating case to study in the coming years, especially in regards to the draft classes compiled by the Raiders and the Jaguars. After shocking the world and selecting quarterback Blake Bortles with the third overall pick, Jacksonville Jaguars general manager David Caldwell loaded up on offense, taking potential stars in Allen Robinson and Brandon Linder. On the other side of the coin, the Raiders ended up taking the player most mocked to the Jaguars leading up to the draft (Khalil Mack), along with the guy who is currently the unquestioned best young passer in the NFL (Derek Carr).

    There are a lot of very good players if you look at both draft classes, but most analysts would probably peg Mack as the best of the bunch. After a rookie season that saw the Buffalo product compile plenty of pressures and hurries but not many sacks, Mack exploded in year 2 with 15 sacks and an All Pro nod at two (!!!) positions. He’s had a slow start to 2016, but he’s still one of the premier pass rushers in the NFL.

    The Jacksonville offensive line has been better at pass blocking this year, but it’s still not a strength. Blake Bortles has been sacked 14 times so far in 2016, 7th in the NFL which is bad even before you factor in the bye week. Mack gets to face off against two tackles in Jermey Parnell and Kelvin Beachum that have been inconsistent. The Jaguars historically are awful at stopping great edge rushers (just look at last year’s week 17 debacle against the Houston Texans), so I’d be shocked if Mack doesn’t get to Bortles at least once this Sunday.

    January 31, 2016; Honolulu, HI, USA; Team Irvin wide receiver Allen Robinson of the Jacksonville Jaguars (15) runs against Team Rice strong safety Charles Woodson of the Oakland Raiders (24) during the third quarter of the 2016 Pro Bowl game at Aloha Stadium. Team Irvin defeated Team Rice 49-27. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

    Allen Robinson will have 100+yards recieving: FACT

    Allen Robinson has been targeted 47 times by Bortles so far in 2016, the most on the team by a significant margin (Hurns is second with 38). Despite all the looks, Robinson has struggled so far this season and it’s not entirely the fault of Bortles. Robinson has had a couple chances to pull down those 50-50 jump balls that propelled him to the Pro Bowl in 2015 but he hasn’t delivered. Opposing defenses are clearly honing in on Robinson as the Jaguars primary target on offense, and the Jaguars have failed to get him involved early on in games.

    Last week, Robinson should have had a touchdown on the opening drive. His drop ended up being costly (he directly caused the subsequent interception) in multiple respects given how sluggish the offense looked after that.

    This week should be a little different. The Oakland Raiders are one of the worst teams in the NFL at defending the pass despite spending a boatload of money and resources revamping the secondary this offseason. They give up 313 yards per game through the air – worst in the NFL – despite what many expected to be a potent pass rush.

    I think Khalil Mack will get on track a little bit this week, but the Raiders don’t have a lot along the front seven outside of the All Pro that scares you. Bortles should be somewhat productive this week, particularly with Allen Robinson lining up against the Raiders’ corners. It’ll be interesting to see who matches up against Robinson, but I expect him to put up solid numbers regardless.

    October 16, 2016; Oakland, CA, USA; Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) passes the football against the Kansas City Chiefs during the first quarter at Oakland Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports

    Derek Carr will throw an interception: FICTION

    After the 2015 regular season, there was a legitimate argument to be made about who the better quarterback was – Derek Carr or Blake Bortles. Heading into week 7 of the 2016 season, the answer couldn’t be more clear. Blake Bortles might still have a higher ceiling than Carr in the long term, but it’s no question who the more polished, effective, winning passer is right now.

    One of the biggest positives about Carr is the steady progress he’s made since his rookie year. Carr has gotten noticeably better in almost every aspect over the last two years, culminating now in what has been a borderline MVP season. He was directly responsible for two game winning touchdowns and he’s been instrumental in orchestrating key 4th quarter drives to win games.

    Carr has never done well under pressure, but the Raiders have done an outstanding job of surrounding him with one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. Carr still sometimes falters against good pass rushes, but luckily for him the Jaguars don’t have one of those yet. Yannick Ngakoue and Dante Fowler Jr. have been just OK so far and that spells trouble against an accurate and efficient guy like Carr. Don’t expect any interceptions this Sunday.

    The Jaguars surprised me (sort of) by pulling out a road win last week against the Bears. I didn’t think they had the fortitude to win a game against a worse opponent on the road under Gus Bradley. Despite the win, I’m not convinced this is a good team. The Jaguars had an extra week to prepare for the Bears and they looked like garbage on offense for the better part of three quarters before putting together a few drives at the end. That won’t work this week against one of the better offenses in the NFL.

    And oh yeah, Jack Del Rio is coming back to the place that kicked him out the door unceremoniously. The Jaguars have been a laughingstock ever since. I think Jack will have the Raiders ready to go this week.

    PREDICTION: Jaguars 17 – Raiders 30

    More from Black and Teal

      This article originally appeared on

      share


      Get more from Jacksonville Jaguars Follow your favorites to get information about games, news and more