An interception prone quarterback versus an interception machine linebacker.
That sums up the upcoming battle between Las Vegas Raiders signal caller Geno Smith and Jacksonville Jaguars defender Devin Lloyd.
Smith, the Raiders’ 35-year-old, $75 million quarterback, boasts 10 interceptions thrown this season and was atop the league in that category for much of the season until the Miami Dolphins’ Tua Tagovailoa said hold my beer (he has 11 picks thrown on the year). Lloyd, the Jaguars’ first-round pick in 2022 (27th overall), is tied for the league lead in interceptions at four (alongside Chicago Bears safety Kevin Byard; who picked off Smith twice in Week 4). On the year, Lloyd has the longest interception return for a touchdown: A 99-yard pick six against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 5.
But here’s the kicker when it comes to this potential matchup between Smith and Lloyd: It’s the Jacksonville linebacker that’s been limited in practices this week as he recovers from a calf injury that forced him to miss the Jaguars’ Week 7 contest with the Los Angeles Rams. Like Las Vegas, Jacksonville is coming off a bye week and Lloyd’s return to practice — albeit limited — is a sign he may return.
The Utah product is a supreme nuisance when tasked with pass coverage as Pro Football Reference charts the 27-year-old with 12 completions allowed on 17 targets (70.6 percent completion rate) for 101 yards and one touchdown given up. Opposing quarterbacks sport a 65.7 rating throwing his way — as evidenced by the four interceptions on the season — and the average receiving yards per target Lloyd is yielding is 5.9. The 6-foot-3 and 235-pound linebacker has 28 total tackles (16 solo) with two stops for loss and two quarterback hits, also.
Thus, if he’s on the field, the Raiders must be wary of No. 0.
“Devin a little bit more on the quieter side early getting to know him and then you talk to him, and you hear a very mature dude. He had specific goals that he wanted to accomplish this season, and I thought he attacked it in the exact right way. You look at the offseason program wanting to get faster, a little bit more athletic, be a little bit more dynamic,” Jaguars head coach Liam Coen said of his playmaking linebacker this past Wednesday. “I thought he attacked it the right way. He came in training camp, we had multiple conversations with him and just, ‘This is what I expect, these are my expectations for myself as a player and how I can help this defense and this team.’ And that’s what it’s been the entire time that I’ve gotten to know Devin. He is obviously made a ton of huge plays for us this season and I have a lot of respect for the player and person.”
Lloyd missing Sunday’s matchup would been a boon for the Raiders. The Jaguars placed wide receiver/cornerback Travis Hunter on injured reserve with a knee injury Friday morning which puts their talented 2025 first-round pick on the shelf for at least four games. So Jacksonville is going to be light in playmaking ability.
But, if Lloyd does suit up and starts, Las Vegas must rigorously put his calf to the test. Another “if” here, but should the Raiders have tight end Brock Bowers playing and available, try to isolate Lloyd against the fleet-footed pass catcher. Use an array of routes, short, intermediate, and long to stress Lloyd’s legs. Deploy running backs Ashton Jeanty and/or Raheem Mostert on routes coming out of the backfield to make Lloyd run in coverage.
And, of course, run right at him and the Jaguars defense.
“I think you can’t play one-sided. You can’t be one dimensional when you play football. You can’t throw it every down; you can’t run it every down,” Raiders offensive coordinator Chip Kelly said during his media availability on Thursday. “You have to be able — if you do it, defenses are too good; if they know this is all this team is going to do is chuck it, well, then, the schemes that these people will bring from a pass rush standpoint and coverage standpoint will be very complicated. So, you’ve got to be able to not let them home in and say, ‘This is all they do on this down.’ So, you want to be balanced. If you’re balanced, that’s a good thing.”
Quote of Note:
“Yeah, just being mindful of that. A lot of sim pressures, so they’ll bring one guy and drop one guy. And so you just know if they’re bringing a blitz one way, that the opposite side is going to be dropping. And again, you want to stick to your reads and make sure you’re just seeing the field the proper way. That’s the main thing. And then getting the ball out of my hands. We’re developing a great game plan this week, and we got to go out there and execute it. And again, it starts with me. It starts with me getting that ball out my hands and playing efficiently, playing the right way. And then when the time comes, being explosive.”
—Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Geno Smith on the Jacksonville Jaguars defense’s penchant to drop defensive linemen into pass coverage
Sunday’s contest marks the 12th time the Raiders and Jaguars will clash. Jacksonville leads the series at 6-5 overall. However, it’s Las Vegas that’s posted the most recent victory: A 19-14 win back in December of 2024. The Jaguars won the two previous matchups — 27-20 in November of 2022 and 20-16 in December of 2019 (final game in Oakland, ever). Jacksonville owns the longest win streak of the series with four-straight victories from 1997 to 2010.
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