The Jacksonville Jaguars lost – again. This time it helped the franchise reach a new low, losing in a game to the Las Vegas Raiders, who had previously won two games sloppy 19-14 contest.

For the ninth time this year, the Jaguars let a game escape by just one point. Narrow defeats have become the hallmark of the Doug Pederson era.

“I’m sure there are. “I’m sure if a bad play or a penalty happens and it sets you back a little bit, I think there’s maybe a little bit – where we’re at in our season, that’s scary for sure,” in said Pederson on Sunday.

“Men are people. You will feel that. You will feel this feeling. But it’s mental strength. It’s the courage. It’s the courage, the determination. And the boys show it, and they have shown it, but “we just couldn’t cope with some setbacks.”

So what do we think of the Jaguars’ recent loss? We explain it below.

This is the worst loss of the Doug Pederson/Trent Baalke era

For my money, this was the worst and most inexcusable loss of the Doug Pederson/Trent Baalke era. Yes, they suffered some devastating losses last season and even had the worst loss in franchise history by point differential earlier this season. But the Jaguars had never lost to the NFL’s worst team under Baalke and Pederson until this game.

In the third year of this regime, they should be far from losing games like they did on Sunday. The Jaguars are a bad team in their own right right now, but even their depleted roster shouldn’t be losing games to this Raiders team. That’s the kind of loss a coach can’t come back from.

Maason Smith has shown that development works, but should the Jaguars have any regrets?

Maason Smith made his presence felt on Sunday, recording a sack, two tackles for loss and a pass deflection on a key third down. Smith appeared to be the athletic and dominant force the Jaguars were hoping for when they selected him in the second round in April, and he seems to be getting better with each game.

With that in mind, should the Jaguars regret that he hasn’t played in more games so far? Although he battled an ankle injury at times, he was a healthy scratch on several occasions. After watching his performance on Sunday, the Jaguars should feel a little remorse for not being able to give him more game reps earlier in the season.

Brian Thomas Jr. is a top-10 WR

Is there anything Brian Thomas Jr. can’t do? Even in a game in which he dropped a pass and a wide-open touchdown throw went his way, he still took over the passing game and proved to be a quarterback-safe and confident target. He stands out more every week and shows that he is one of the best wideouts in the entire NFL.

“Yes, he did a good job. They will take him away once again. And I missed him early. We had the one missed connection on hold and then he made a couple of great plays late on. “So keep on fighting,” Mac Jones said after the game. “He is his biggest critic, and so am I. So we match up well, but I think he had about ten or so catches, probably over 100 yards, so he did his part. And we have to keep giving him the ball.”

Improving pass defense must be a top priority

Aidan O’Connell has struggled throughout his tenure as the Raiders’ starting quarterback, but he made things look easy against the Jaguars. The Jaguars allowed three completions of 24 yards or more despite coming into the game with perfect defense.

It wasn’t just Brock Bowers either. It was a collective effort from a struggling Raiders offense that made it look easy against a worse Jaguars defense. Simply put, the Jaguars need to make improving pass defense their overall offseason priority. If not, they’re in for another long season.

The offensive line was a huge disappointment

The Jaguars entered the 2024 season largely with the status quo on offense and returned four of five starters from the final game of the 2023 season. They did make a change at center, eventually trading Cam Robinson and replacing him with Walker Little, but Sunday’s game showed they either didn’t do enough or weren’t coached well enough.

The Jaguars’ line faced one of the worst defenses in the NFL on Sunday, but Mac Jones was constantly under pressure, the running game offered next to nothing and the unit took crucial penalties at crucial moments. It was a major step backwards in the trenches.

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