OVERVIEW …
JACKSONVILLE – Opportunity knocked. The Jaguars didn't answer.
Instead, the 2016 offensive struggles continued in a big way – and the Jaguars by a wide margin missed a chance at their first three-game winning streak in three seasons.
Jaguars quarterback Blake Bortles threw for just 103 yards and no touchdowns in the first three quarters against the NFL's 32nd-ranked defense, and the Oakland Raiders (5-2) used a twenty-point first half to cruise to a 33-16 victory over the Jaguars in front of 62,614 at EverBank Field Sunday afternoon.
The Jaguars trailed 20-6 at halftime and never got closer than 10 points in the second half. The Raiders led 26-9 early in the fourth quarter.
A nine-yard pass from Bortles to tight end Julius Thomas with 4:12 remaining cut into a 17-point lead, but Raiders running back Latavius Murray's late nine-yard run re-extended it for the final margin.
The Jaguars (2-4) entered on a two-game winning streak having beaten Chicago and Indianapolis in their last two games. They missed a chance to move .500 in October for the first time since 2010 and they haven't beaten a team that entered the game two or more games over .500 since the 2011 season.
Bortles completed 23 of 43 passes for 246 yards and was intercepted twice. He now has thrown nine touchdowns with nine interceptions this season.
Raiders quarterback Derek Carr completed 23 of 37 passes for 200 yards and a touchdown with no interceptions. The touchdown went to wide receiver Michael Crabtree, who caught eight passes for 96 yards – including seven receptions for 90 yards in the first half.
Oakland took a two-touchdown halftime lead after a first half in which the Jaguars committed two turnovers – and squandered three red-zone opportunities.
The Raiders took a 3-0 lead when Sebastian Janikowski converted a 26-yard field goal with 9:06 remaining to cap a nine-play, 63-yard drive. Both teams went three and out on their first possession.
The Raiders then took advantage of the Jaguars' second turnover of the first quarter to extend the lead to 6-0 with 14:55 remaining in the second quarter. Janikowski's 32-yard field goal came three plays after Jaguars wide receiver Rashad Greene muffed a punt to give Oakland possession at the Jaguars 17 late in the first quarter.
Bortles one series earlier had thrown an interception in the end zone. He passed to wide receiver Marqise Lee at the end of a 49-yard drive, but Lee was double covered and cornerback David Amerson intercepted.
The Jaguars cut the lead to 6-3 with a 23-yard field goal by Jason Myers with 12:38 remaining in the second quarter, missing a chance to take the lead after facing 1st-and-goal on the eight. The Raiders drove 75 yards on 11 plays on the ensuing series, rushing nine times for 63 yards and extending the lead to 13-3 with a two-yard run by Latavius Murray.
The Jaguars squandered a third opportunity late in the first half, settling for a 37-yard field goal by Myers with 1:49 remaining in the half. A 38-yard catch-and-run gain by Lee took the Jaguars to the Raiders 15, and Myers' field goal came five plays later.
The Raiders extended the lead to 20-6 with a two-yard pass from Carr to Crabtree with :14 remaining in the half. Crabtree set up the touchdown with a 56-yard reception on which he beat cornerback Prince Amukamara deep.
Janikowski added field goals of 44 and 52 yards in the second half. The Jaguars scored on a 37-yard field goal by Myers on the first drive of the second half, but didn't score after that until 4:12 remained.
PLAYER OF THE GAME …
Marqise Lee, wide receiver. There were few options for this for the Jaguars Sunday. Lee caught seven passes for 107 yards and his 38-yard first-half reception was a career-high.
OFFENSIVELY …
The Jaguars finished with 344 total yards and 19 first downs, but much of the yardage came after the game seemed out of hand. The Jaguars had 151 yards at halftime with Bortles having completed 5 of 14 passes for 57 yards at that point. Thirty-eight of those yards came on one play to Lee.
DEFENSIVELY …
The Raiders finished with 344 yards and 21 first downs. The Jaguars allowed 237 first-half yards with Carr throwing for 153 first-half yards and a touchdown.
SPECIALLY …
Kicker Jason Myers converted field goals of 23, 37 and 44 yards. Punter Brad Nortman punted five times for a 40.0-yard average. Greene's first-half fumble led directly to a Raiders field goal and he also fielded a punt at his own goal line.
INJURY UPDATES …
Defensive tackle Roy Miller III sustained a right Achilles injury in the third quarter and did not return; Abry Jones took his place at nose tackle. Cornerback Aaron Colvin sustained a second-half toe injury.
*Second-year reserve tight end Neal Sterling was the only Jaguars player ruled out before kickoff because of injury. Quarterback Brandon Allen, defensive end Chris Smith, running back Corey Grant, cornerback Josh Johnson, wide receiver Bryan Walters and offensive tackle Bryce Harris also were inactive.
NOTABLE …
*Jaguars defensive tackle Malik Jackson was penalized three times for 45 yards in the second half. He was penalized twice for unsportsmanlike conduct, and was disqualified from the game after the second such penalty. Cornerback Jalen Ramsey was later ejected for fighting.
*Running back Chris Ivory had his longest career run of his first season with the Jaguars – a 42-yarder that set up a second-quarter field goal. He finished with 48 yards on five carries.
*T.J. Yeldon started at running back for the Jaguars Sunday with rookie Yannick Ngakoue starting at Leo end, rookie Myles Jack starting at Otto linebacker and Amukamara starting at left cornerback.
*Tight end Marcedes Lewis played in his 150th career game – all with the Jaguars – on Sunday. …
