Raiders' defense bulldozes 10-game losing streak by beating up on Jaguars

By Case Keefer

Raiders' defense bulldozes 10-game losing streak by beating up on Jaguars

Isaiah Pola-Mao couldn't contain himself as he watched fellow Raiders safety Tre'von Moehrig stuff Jaguars running back D'Ernest Johnson with an open-field tackle to force a turnover of downs in the final minute of Sunday's game at Allegiant Stadium.

Pola-Mao threw a haymaker through the air in celebration of a thwart that secured a 19-14 Las Vegas victory and stopped a 10-game losing streak.

It's a good thing Pola-Mao didn't accidentally connect with anything on the punch; the danger the third-year defensive back's hands can cause were evident throughout the afternoon.

Pola-Mao had two of the Raiders' finest moments when he became the franchise's first player in 25 years, since Hall of Famer Charles Woodson, to force a pair of fumbles in a single game.

"I thought our team, our defense rallied around that," Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said of Pola-Mao's aggressiveness.

Pola-Mao's first takeaway-forcing play was more of a classic strip on Jacksonville running back Tank Bigsby, and Moehrig fell on the loose ball. The second was Pierce's favorite -- a crushing hit over the middle of the field on Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange that jarred the ball out and allowed safety Thomas Harper to recover.

The latter prevented the Jaguars from scoring on a nine-play drive right before halftime. Las Vegas didn't end up scoring off either of Pola-Mao's big plays but they were energized by them and maintained the edge they provided going forward -- especially on defense.

And defense is where the Raiders have made their biggest strides over the last month, allowing the team to stay competitive until finally breaking through in the win column against the Jaguars.

Las Vegas has been up and down on offense and continued to be against Jacksonville, but it's been able to trust the defense will give it ample chances.

"We kind of said, 'Enough is enough,'" Pola-Mao said of the defense's continued improvement. "At the end of the day, we don't care about our record. We don't care about wins and losses, all this. We fight for each other. We're going to go out there and fight regardless of the situation."

They apparently don't care about who exactly is doing the fighting either considering the personnel that's been at the forefront of improvement.

Being a defense-first team was always part of the plan for the Raiders this year, but many of the players that were expected to be fostering the mentality have been lost for the season. Las Vegas has added five starters to injured reserve since Week 1 -- edge rushers Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce, defensive tackle Christian Wilkins, strong safety Marcus Epps and cornerback Jakorian Bennett.

It's largely their replacements who have emerged as leaders in the latest stretch of games. Pola-Moa, a former undrafted free agent out of USC who spent a lot of time on the practice squad in the last two years, has taken over for the veteran Epps without much if any drop-off.

But Exhibit A for finding diamonds in the rough might be edge rusher K'Lavon Chaisson, who continued his recent tear with a sack, tackle for loss and a pass defensed against the Jaguars.

Chaisson is one of only six players in the NFL with three sacks in the last four weeks, and the one against the Jaguars might have been the sweetest. The former LSU star was considered a bust in Jacksonville after it took him in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft, but he didn't look like it when he planted quarterback Mac Jones on a third down in the third quarter.

"It was really important," Chaisson responded when asked about the significance of playing well against his original team. "We made sure that we stayed within the gameplan. We tried not to force it and rush it. But I can definitely say I had it on my mind to leave here with a sack today."

Those types of momentum-shifting plays were far more common for the Raiders' defense against the Jaguars than mistakes, though there was one major breakdown that kept the game close until the end.

Moehrig and top cornerback Jack Jones miscommunicated midway late in the third quarter, allowing top Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas to get behind them and catch a 62-yard touchdown pass from Jones.

That put the Jaguars up 14-13 heading into the fourth quarter.

Jacksonville's first touchdown, to open scoring near the end of the first quarter, was a one-yard run from Bigsby after a penalty on the punt team set the visitors up at the 28-yard line.

"It's the coaching and attitude we bring in the building and with the team," Chaisson said of the defensive uptick. "It's quickly surrounding and encouraging when you come in to get on the same page with everyone. It felt good to be able to go out there and have everyone on the same page to get the win today."

The offense for once felt thrust into gear to clean up the defensive miscue after Thomas' touchdown. On the next drive, Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell had one of his best possessions of the year in guiding a 10-play, 65-yard scoring drive.

He leaned heavily on star rookie tight end Brock Bowers, who had another big game with 11 catches for 99 yards, and 10-year veteran running back Ameer Abdullah, who had 12 touches for 85 yards on the day, to get down the field.

Abdullah finished the job with a seven-yard touchdown run that wound up the game winner and ensured the Jaguars held the lead for less than five minutes after the coverage bust by Jones and/or Moehrig.

"I think guys just appreciate more than ever how hard it is to win," O'Connell said. "It's definitely a weight off the shoulders for sure. It was just fun to see the smiles again. I think the biggest thing for me was just looking around, high-fiving everybody and seeing how happy guys were. It's really a big part of why you play the game, and we don't have it for 10 weeks in a row, so it's tough."

Some Raiders' fans were upset with the victory as it pushed them down from projected No. 2 in the 2025 NFL Draft order to start the day to No. 6. There's a chance Las Vegas could fall as low as No. 10 if it wins its next two games, at the New Orleans Saints and hosting the Los Angeles Chargers.

Securing the No. 1 overall pick for the first time since 2007 is now highly unlikely with the New York Giants sitting alone with the worst record at 2-13 on the season. Four other teams -- including the Jaguars -- are tied at the Raiders' 3-12 mark.

But the Raiders themselves didn't want to hear anything about that postgame. Pierce spurned a question about it in his news conference by quickly saying, "talk to (general manager) Tom Telesco)."

It's clear there was no internal push to lose games for a better draft position as team owner Mark Davis was in the locker room celebrating with players following the win.

"Whenever you see that all white," Chaisson said with a grin referencing Davis' constant wardrobe choice, "it's a good thing going on for sure."

The defensive line, including tackles Jonah Laulu and Zach Carter whom Pierce particularly praised, had an impromptu dance circle on one side of the locker room while Davis shook hands and gave hugs on the other.

Las Vegas was never going to be content giving up on the season, losing willingly and threatening tying the franchise's longest-ever single-season losing streak (13 in 1962).

It even rushed back O'Connell from a bone bruise to start against the Jaguars and he performed well at less than 100% with 24 of 38 completed pass attempts for 257 yards.

But the Raiders' defense is what really carried them. The unit had been playing well enough to win for a while, and got rewarded against the Jaguars.

"(Expletive), finally," Pola-Mao described what was going through his head during Moehrig's decisive stop. "It was kind of just a sigh of relief, but it feels good to be a reason we got a (win)."

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