3 Takeaways from Raiders' Week 9 Loss vs. Jaguars

The Las Vegas Raiders had an opportunity to potentially save their season Sunday, and they blew it. The Raiders were already reeling at 2-5, but they carried a 20-10 lead over the Jacksonville Jaguars at halftime.

Las Vegas avoided the slow start that plagued it against the New Orleans Saints last week, but a second-half collapse sent the Raiders home with a 2-6 record. It's time to face the reality that Las Vegas probably isn't getting back to the playoffs this season.

A year ago, the Raiders battled back from a 6-7 record to earn a wild-card berth. However, Las Vegas would have to go 4-1 over the next five weeks just to get to that point. A turnaround just doesn't feel likely at this point.

The Jaguars are an improved team, but this was a game that the Raiders should have won. For two quarters, it looked like they would. Now, it's looking like Las Vegas may have to begin thinking about next season.

Here are our three biggest takeaways following the Raiders' 27-20 loss to the Jaguars in Week 9.

We've talked plenty this season about how big of a disappointment free-agent addition Chandler Jones has been in Las Vegas. He hasn't boosted the pass rush, which has only nine sacks on the season and was blanked by Jacksonville.

A poor pass rush isn't Las Vegas' only problem, though. The defense, as a whole, is bad. Aside from Pro Bowl pass-rusher Maxx Crosby and perhaps cornerback Rock Ya-Sin, there simply aren't playmakers on this unit.

The Raiders are completely incapable of protecting a lead, and they proved that again in Jacksonville.

The Jaguars finished the first half with touchdown and field-goal drives, then scored touchdowns on their first two drives of the second half. They punted only once after the intermission, adding a field-goal drive, a missed field goal and ending the game.

In all, the Jaguars racked up 403 yards of offense and converted nine of 15 third downs. Trevor Lawrence was quite efficient for the Jaguars (25-of-31 for 235 yards), but Jacksonville did a lot of its damage on the ground—rushing for 168 yards and 4.5 yards per carry.

The Raiders' inability to pressure opposing passers is an obvious problem that has lingered for multiple seasons. However, Las Vegas isn't doing much of anything well on defense right now.

Last week, we discussed head coach Josh McDaniels and how it's time to second-guess his hiring. That opinion hasn't changed, and Las Vegas will have to seriously reevaluate McDaniels in the offseason. For now, though, the Raiders just need to focus on stringing some wins together.

To do that, the Raiders first have to figure out how to play a complete game. They did it in Week 7 against the Houston Texans, and it seemed then that they may have turned a corner. Since then, though, they've fallen flat twice.

Las Vegas seemed in no way prepared for the Saints last week. Sunday brought another massive collapse that involved both sides of the ball. We've already noted the defensive failures, but the offense was equally ineffective down the stretch.

Las Vegas reached Jacksonville territory only once in the second half. Derek Carr was an impressive 16-of-21 for 223 yards and two touchdowns in the first half. He added a mere 26 yards in the second half.

This marked the third time this season that Las Vegas has blown a 17-0 lead, a fact that is emblematic of the 2022 Raiders. They can play extremely well for stretches, but they've rarely done it for a full four quarters.

One thing that has become clear this season is that the Raiders aren't just a player or two away from a championship. The additions of Adams and Jones were supposed to take Las Vegas from wild-card team to contender, but there are holes all over this roster.

The offensive line continues to play inconsistently—Carr was sacked twice, while the ground game yielded 3.8 yards per play on Sunday—the defense is a liability, and the Raiders will have tough decisions to make on impending free agents like Josh Jacobs and Johnathan Abram.

This past offseason, it felt like the Raiders were building on a solid foundation. Next offseason, they may have to rebuild much of that foundation—and ESPN's Dan Graziano believes they will.

"All is not well in Vegas, and I would expect significant roster changes if things don't turn around before the end of this season," Graziano wrote last week. "There is zero guaranteed money on Derek Carr's new 'contract extension' after this season. Just sayin'."

While Carr is an above-average quarterback, it wouldn't be a shock to see Las Vegas eye the 2023 quarterback class. It will be even less of a surprise to see general manager Dave Ziegler overhaul multiple key areas of the roster in the draft and in free agency.

Las Vegas has $31.5 million in projected 2023 cap space, according to Spotrac. The Raiders are likely to be very active when the market opens on March 15.