Jaguars get a much needed win over Oakland 20-16

On a day where it seemed everything was against the Jacksonville Jaguars, they found a way to win in Oakland, 20-16.

Jacksonville Jaguars made history Sunday afternoon. Not only was it the first win for this franchise on the West Coast since 2005, but this organization is now part of a trivia question.
Which team beat the Oakland Raiders in their final game ever played in the Oakland Alameda Coliseum?

With a little Minshew Magic (it’s not trademarked yet), and a defense that stepped up in the second half, Jacksonville came away with a 20-13 win over the Raiders, which took their record to 5-9 this season. Rookie Gardner Minshew threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes to Chris Conley.

And in doing so, I could not help but think this is a team that struggled for three quarters of football and found a way to overcome adversity and win.

I’m not looking for the Rocky theme song to be played as I am writing this editorial, but I do think this win is bigger than just ending a losing streak.

The Raiders are now 6-8 this year.

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Jaguars coach Doug Marrone talked after the game about the importance of getting the win and the significance of the victory in an environment where the Raiders were playing their final game in Oakland. This has been a tough week for the Jaguars as an organization. Getting the “monkey” off the team’s back was important to continue to finish this season strong.

"“Yes. I thank the players that have put in a ton of work. The assistant coaches, they are the ones there late at night trying to devise plans to help us win. Obviously, we have been struggling. That is my fault. I got to get the team and coaches to do well,” he said.“But at the end of the day, the one thing that I will say about the coaches and the players is that they have continued to work hard, they have continued to practice hard. When you can go out and play and come from behind and get a win like this obviously it is something that you can feel good about.”"

While their playoff chances were severely damaged by Jacksonville, it’s conceivable to think that this win will springboard the Jaguars to a couple more wins for this organization. It may also change the dynamic of how things happen at the end of the season.

With a three-game winning streak, does Marrone keep his job? Does the front office stay the same? Do players who may have been thought of as roster cuts become an important cog in the machine?

The coaching staff has been correct all week in stating these three weeks is a job interview. The organization took its first step forward on Sunday in keeping their jobs.

I know I may be reaching here, but it’s not out of the question. Atlanta just beat San Francisco and is considered a favorite to win on Sunday. The Indianapolis Colts will once again try to run through this team in two weeks at TIAA Bank Field.

I’m hoping for a better result with more fire and passion this team found for 15 minutes yesterday.
This team showed on Sunday there is still football to play the next couple of weeks and hopefully a chance to remain part of this franchise in North Florida.

"“I got a question last week about, hey do you think that anyone is quitting, which is natural when a team is losing football games,” Marrone said. “People are going to ask that, but I really haven’t seen it in the team. I haven’t and that is a credit to the coaches and the players. We just wanted to keep it tight and get an opportunity to win the game and that is what we did and was able to do.”"