After a Bye, the Jacksonville Jaguars traveled to Las Vegas to take on the Raiders in Week 9. Before their week off, the Jaguars had struggled through two back-to-back losses, putting a harsh stop to the momentum they had early in the season. Initially, the Jags looked to be serious playoff contenders; the past few weeks have raised serious concerns for fans.
The Jaguars should have been thrilled to be taking on the Raiders as their first post-bye game. The Raiders are one of the worst teams in the league, and just ahead of their own game, Jacksonville saw the Indianapolis Colts — current AFC South leaders and the division rival — lose to the Pittsburgh Steelers.
This should have been a golden opportunity for the Jaguars. They had a team that should have given them an easy victory and a prime opportunity to prove that they're a legitimate playoff contender. But instead of a late-season comeback, Jacksonville just proved that the team has serious issues.
The Jaguars’ overtime win feels more alarming than reassuring
After a tension-filled first half, the Jaguars (for better or worse) once again proved that they are a gritty team that can snatch a victory out of the jaws of defeat... but only after seriously struggling throughout the entire game.
There is certainly some good news; the Jaguars did walk away with a win and are back to trailing the Colts by just one loss. Trevor Lawrence performed well, despite being sick, and kicker Cam Little also officially holds the record for the longest field goal in NFL history, so it wasn't all bad news.
CAM LITTLE JUST KICKED THE LONGEST FG IN NFL HISTORY! 68 YARDS! pic.twitter.com/WGZb6O9xhX
— NFL (@NFL) November 2, 2025
However, Jaguars fans have good reason to be seriously concerned. Jacksonville is heading into a late-season stretch that includes much more difficult opponents than the Las Vegas Raiders, including the Colts (twice), the Denver Broncos, and the Los Angeles Chargers.
What does it say about the Jaguars that they struggled so much to win against such a weak team? It doesn't bode well for the rest of the season. Had the Jaguars come back with a blowout victory against Las Vegas, it could have shown that Jacksonville had spent the bye addressing its issues and came back stronger.
Instead, Jacksonville barely escaped with a win, and it was a one-point victory in overtime against one of the worst teams in the league. It will hopefully be a confidence boost for the team that will get them back on the right path, and their next game will likely be against a CJ Stroud-less Texans, which would be another much-needed victory.
As of now, the Jaguars are still in playoff contention. But they won't stay there if they can barely manage to beat the Raiders. Clearly, the Jaguars are still having a hard time with dumb penalties, and are now adding a lot of injuries to that as well. If this continues to be a problem, then Jacksonville can't truly be a playoff contender, no matter how many lucky wins they rack up.