LAS VEGAS, Nevada – Senior writer John Oehser examines five key plays from the Jaguars’ 19-14 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders in a Week 16, 2024 game at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday

1. Just not enough. The Jaguars lost by a touchdown or less on Sunday for the ninth time this season – and in most of those losses, they lost a real chance to win. The Jaguars led 14-13 early in the fourth quarter, but a seven-yard run by Ameer Abdullah gave the Raiders the final victory with 11:26 left. After gaining six yards on the ensuing series, the Jaguars regained possession after forcing a punt with 2:44 left. They drove from their 7-yard line to their 48-yard line, where they faced fourth-and-1. A holding penalty on left tackle Cole Van Lanen negated running back Travis Etienne’s 12-yard gain. On fourth-and-11 from the Jaguars’ 38-yard line, quarterback Mac Jones threw to running back D’Ernest Johnson in the flat. He was tackled after an eight-yard gain and the Raiders finished at :52. “I’ve been in this situation a lot and the last thing you want to do is take a sack,” Jones said, adding that Johnson wasn’t the main man. “You have to bring it into play. You want to try to make a play there and get him up the field. If he makes that play, we’ll have another string of losses and everyone will say something different.”

2. Wiiiiiiiide open. A defensive breakdown gave the Jaguars life – and the lead – just before the start of the final quarter. With the Jaguars trailing 13-7, Jones threw deep to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. – although the tandem had narrowly missed a similar play earlier in the quarter, a play that resulted in a holding penalty against Center Mitch Morse would have been destroyed. On third-and-8 from the Jaguars 38, Thomas intercepted Jones’ pass wide open on the left sideline and easily scored to give the Jaguars a 14-13 lead with 54 minutes left in the third quarter. “The coverage was probably broken, that’s what it looked like,” Jaguars head coach Doug Pederson said. “We needed a play. We come back to him again, in the same manner, and he makes the play. That’s the type of kid he is. There’s never an easy play, but we got help on this one.” Thomas said he was “super surprised” to be so open. “I don’t know what happened,” he said. “The cover was broken over there and I was able to get it wide open.”