Raiders winners and losers in 27-20 defeat vs. Jaguars

The Raiders played yet another wildly inconsistent game on Sunday against the Jaguars, losing 27-20 after holding an early 17-0 lead. It was the third time Las Vegas squandered an advantage of 17-plus points this season.

Quarterback Derek Carr and wide receiver Davante Adams were on fire to start the game, as Adams amassed 146 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the first half. But incredibly, those were Adams’ totals for the game. He had just one catch for zero yards the rest of the way.

Sprinkle in some bad defense for the road team, and the Raiders lost another head-scratcher. Here are the winners and losers for the week, as Las Vegas falls to 2-6 on the season.

Winner: K Daniel Carlson

Kicker Daniel Carlson did all he could to help the Raiders win, hitting two field goals and both of his extra points. Carlson has now made 41 straight field goals and is close to the NFL record for consecutive makes, which stands at 44 and is held by Raiders nemesis Adam Vinatieri.

Unfortunately for the Raiders, Carlson’s second field goal late in the first half came after Las Vegas wasted a golden opportunity for a touchdown when Carr underthrew running back Ameer Abdullah in the end zone.

Winner: DE Maxx Crosby

The Raiders defense started hot, too, and defensive end Maxx Crosby led the way. He had an early fumble recovery on a botched toss play by the Jaguars, and the turnover led to a Carr-to-Adams touchdown.

Soon thereafter, Crosby had a tackle for loss on a similar play from Jacksonville. Overall, however, the Raiders defense was overwhelmed yet again as the Jaguars got rolling. On the day, Las Vegas recorded zero QB sacks and allowed 109 rushing yards to RB Travis Etienne Jr.

But they also gave the Raiders’ high-powered (at times) offense an opportunity to rally late in the game, making multiple stops and lucking out on a missed Jacksonville field goal.

Winner: Davante Adams

Deciding where to place Davante Adams is a tough call this week, but I’ve got him on the winner list. After being held to just one catch last week, he reminded everyone he’s one of the best receivers in the NFL with his monster first half.

And though he did drop at least one catch late in the game, it seems clear to me that Adams wasn’t the problem regarding his poor second-half production against the Jaguars. Adams is as talented as they come in the NFL, and he proved he can get the job done when the offense is in synch.

Loser: QB Derek Carr and coach Josh McDaniels

As you can probably guess, I blame Carr and coach Josh McDaniels for the offense falling apart in the second half, not Adams.

Between the two, it appeared that Carr was the more responsible. But McDaniels is running the show and his offense got shut out after the break, as Carr could muster just 33 passing yards down the stretch.

Carr was just 1-for-8 when targeting Adams after halftime. He missed pass after pass to his star wideout, including at least four missed connections on the Raiders’ last two dries of the day.

As I said, Adams had at least one drop late. But to me, it’s clear Adams isn’t the issue. It’s up to McDaniels and Carr to make Adams’ talent work for the Raiders for four quarters, not just during spectacular portions of the game.

Loser: DC Patrick Graham

I’ll leave this entry somewhat short. Raiders fans had to watch Crosby in coverage against the Jaguars, and really, that’s all you have to say about the defense. Crosby “allowed” a reception to WR Christian Kirk in the second half, good for a first down.

But we all know who really allowed that to happen, and that’s defensive coordinator Patrick Graham. Making matters worse, the Jaguars notched their go-ahead touchdown shortly after Kirk’s catch.

Loser: RB Ameer Abdullah

Sometimes when you land on the loser list, it’s not ever your fault. Such is the case today with Abdullah.

It seems that every time McDaniels brings him into the game, Abdullah is the target of an ineffective dump-off pass that doesn’t help Las Vegas at all. By no real fault of his own, he’s become a bit of a symbol for McDaniels’ ineptitude thus far.

And even when he gets open in the end zone, Carr misses him with an underthrow. Additionally, that play was the start of the Raiders’ unraveling in this ballgame. The Jaguars were able to score a field goal on the ensuing possession and pull to within 10 points before the break, knowing they would get the ball to start the second half.

Loser: S Tre’von Moehrig

The Jaguars took the ball to start the second half and marched down the field, scoring on a touchdown catch from Kirk. Unfortunately for Raiders safety Tre’von Moehrig, he was left one-on-one with Kirk due to a blitz and was beaten badly.

Once again, that’s ultimately on Graham. But Moehrig takes this “L.” Unlike Crosby, it’s Moehrig’s job to cover, and he wasn’t even close on this play that helped turn the tide early in the second half.

The Raiders season is now officially off the rails. A team many picked as a contender is now 2-6, thanks to wildly inconsistent play. Coach Josh McDaniels is under immense pressure for a first-year coach, given the expectations.

The new regime will likely repeat their latest company line and say that building a winning team takes time, but it’s clear the plan was to win now, taking the trade for Adams into account, not to mention signing DE Chandler Jones to a hefty deal that hasn’t panned out at all.

Ultimately, if the Raiders were more consistent, they’d be in the hunt for the playoffs. Their multiple blown leads amount to a loss for everyone in the organization and to those that devote their time and resources to follow the team as well. Still, they’ll see if they can notch a win for Raiders fans next week at home against the Colts.

Story originally appeared on Raiders Wire