In Week 15, the Jaguars (4-9) travel to Oakland to play the Raiders (6-7) in the final game at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Raiders move to Las Vegas. This week's contest will be broadcast on CBS with Kevin Harlan (play-by-play) and Rich Gannon (analysis) on the call. John Schriffenwill report from the sidelines. Here are five notable stats and quotes surrounding Sunday's matchup:
Fournette eclipses 1K:RB Leonard Fournette surpassed 1,000 rushing yards this season in Week 14, marking the second time in his three-year career that he's tallied at least 1,000 yards. Fournette joins former RB Fred Taylor as the only players in Jaguars history to register multiple 1,000-yard rushing seasons through their first three years in the NFL. Fournette has gained 1,039 yards on the ground this season and is 2 yards from eclipsing his career high of 1,040 set in 2017.
Quotable: "I think it's a part of growing too. I think I've been trying to do a good job of that this whole year, just showing my team that no matter what goes on, I still care for them, and just trying to be the leader I know I can be through going through tough times. I have to put my pride to the side sometimes just to get the results that I need out of my team." – RB Leonard Fournette
Specialists: P Logan Cooke and K Josh Lambo are both having stellar 2019 campaigns and are each at the top of the league in statistical categories. Lambo has made 26 of 27 FG attempts this season, the best FG percentage (96.3) of any NFL kicker with a minimum of five FG attempts. Cooke's 43.8 net punting average leads the NFL. Both players are on track to set franchise records in those respective categories. Lambo has made three field goals and six extra points in Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum while Sunday marks Cooke's first trip.
Quotable:"Josh Lambo has been lights out. He's been automatic and he's been automatic in pressure situations. As long as Lambo can do that and help us put points on the board and control field position with those kickoffs ... He has been everything that we need." – WR Chris Conley
Rookie Records: In Week 14 against the Chargers, QB Gardner Minshew II set the Jaguars rookie record for passing TDs (15), one of several records that he has set or is on pace to break. With 225 passing yards in Week 15, he would tie former QB Byron Leftwichfor the second-most passing yards by a rookie in franchise history. Sunday marks Minshew's first trip to the West Coast during his NFL career, but the rookie signal caller played in the Bay Area during his senior season at Washington State and helped the Cougars defeat Stanford, 41-38. Minshew completed 40 of 50 passes for 438 yards and three TDs in the victory and led the game-winning drive with 1:25 remaining that culminated in the decisive FG.
Quotable: "I think Gardner [Minshew II] has progressed this year very, very well. It's tough for any rookie to come in and play, it really is, especially some of the team's defenses that we've have had to play here over the course of the season. I think I just want to see his continued maturation in terms of seeing his eyes in the right spot, getting the ball out on time. And then continue to make plays with his feet. I think if we see those things over the course of the next three weeks, I think from Gardner's standpoint, I think you'll see his development a pretty good deal." – Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo
Raider Connections:Head Coach Doug Marrone faces off against the franchise with which he began his NFL career on Sunday as he was drafted by the Los Angeles Raiders in the sixth round of the 1986 NFL Draft. In addition, Offensive Coordinator John DeFilipposerved as the Raiders QBs coach from 2007-08 and 2012-14, and Running Backs Coach Terry Robiskie played for the Los Angeles Raiders from 1977-79 and coached the team from 1985-93. Raiders Offensive Coordinator Greg Olson served on the Jaguars coaching staff for two stints (2012 and 2015-16), and Head Strength and Conditioning Coach A.J. Neibel spent 2017-18 as the Jaguars' athletic performance specialist and physical therapy assistant. Two players in the Jaguars secondary spent time with the Raiders as well: CB D.J. Hayden (2013-16) and S Marcus Gilchrist(2018). Both LS Matthew Orzech (Menifee) and LB Leon Jacobs (San Pedro) are from California.
Quotable: "I was there in '07 and '08 when, I call him 'Coach Davis', but when Al Davis [late Raiders owner] was alive. Just being around him as a 27-, 28-, 29-year-old guy that's getting your foot in the league, and it was your first position job, it was an unbelievable experience to be around him day in and day out. The way he remembered names and heights and weights and hand sizes of guys in the 80s, his mind was so sharp. The thing I learned from Coach Davis [was] he didn't care how old you were or how young you were, he wanted you to put in an honest day's work and speak your mind. If you felt like you needed to say something, he may disagree with you, but at the end of day he respected the heck out of you if you had watched the tape, you had researched and you spoke your mind. That's what I've learned from Coach Davis and I've taken that with me wherever I've gone." – Offensive Coordinator John DeFilippo
Last Hurrah in Oakland: Sunday marks the final game at Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum before the Raiders' move to Las Vegas in 2020. Jacksonville's first win at the Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum was a 20-9 victory in 1999. The scoring opened with a TD reception from WR Keenan McCardell on a 35-yard pass from QB Mark Brunell and the game was clinched in the fourth quarter with a FG from Mike Hollis to put the Jaguars ahead, 20-9. A win on Sunday would improve the Jaguars record to 3-3 in Oakland.
Quotable: "It was always a very difficult place to play, just from a fan standpoint and all the other stuff. And then you have to do a good job, the locker room's not the best locker room, and you want to make sure – and we kind of went over that [in meetings this week] to try to describe to our players, I did that today, the type of atmosphere that it's going to be. The last game in the Oakland [Alameda County] Coliseum. The type of fan base that they have, the following that they have. The locker room. I think those things, that's what I've learned before is that you want to get them a little [information] so they can become familiar with what's going on there." – Head Coach Doug Marrone
