Keys to a Las Vegas victory
The Las Vegas Raiders host the Jacksonville Jaguars on Sunday. Kickoff is set for 1:25 p.m. PT.
Here are five keys to a Las Vegas victory.
Don’t let Mac eat:
Mac Jones, starting for the injured Trevor Lawrence, is a flawed player and he is prone to making mistakes. He has thrown two interceptions in the past two games each. But he can also make some plays. He had 294 yards passing against the Jets with two touchdown passes. The Raiders must keep Jones in check.
Contain the rookie:
Like the Raiders and their first-round pick, star tight end Brock Bowers, a bright spot in the Jaguars’ poor season has been first-round pick Brian Thomas. The wide receiver is a stud. The LSU product is having a nice season with 64 catches for 956 yards and eight touchdowns. He can impact this game. The Raiders must beware of him.
Pull a Davante Adams:
The Raiders would love to see Jakobi Meyers do to the Jaguars what the player he replaced as the Raiders’ No. 1 receiver this season did to Jacksonville last week. Adams had nine catches for 198 yards and two touchdowns in a Jets’ Week 15 win at Jacksonville. Meyers could be in for a big day as well.
Don’t be stupid:
The Raiders have ruined their chances to win games with dumb mistakes all season. The Jaguars area lousy team, too. If the Raiders can cut down on turnovers and untimely penalties, they should win this game.
The elephant in the room:
Maybe both teams will want to be stupid in this game. The Raiders and the Jaguars are both in the mix for the top overall draft pick and perhaps winning won[‘t be the top priority down the stretch for both franchises. So, this could quite the interesting afternoon.
