Oakland Raiders 33, Jacksonville Jaguars 16
Here are the biggest takeaways and highest-graded players from the Raiders' 26-9 road victory over the Jaguars.
Quarterback grade: Derek Carr, 77.1
Derek Carr utilizes short passes to pull out road win
The majority of Derek Carr’s passing success against the Jaguars came on short attempts, as he completed 13 of 19 throws targeted between 0-9 yards from the line of scrimmage. Carr didn’t have tremendous success throwing downfield against the Jaguars; he only completed two of eight passes to the intermediate level (10-19 yards downfield), but did complete both of his deep passes (targeted beyond 20 yards downfield).
Top offensive grades:
OT Donald Penn, 83.9
OT Austin Howard, 80.1
WR Michael Crabtree, 78.5
C Rodney Hudson, 76.6
OG Gabe Jackson, 74.4
Raiders’ offensive line shines in victory
The Raiders’ vaunted offensive line did not allow a single sack of Derek Carr against the Jaguars, and only surrendered one hit and six hurries. Michael Crabtree was the most heavily-targeted Raiders’ wide receiver, since Jalen Ramsey was covering Amari Cooper. Crabtree caught 8 of 11 targets, and Derek Carr’s QB rating when targeting him was 129.4.
Top defensive grades:
LB Perry Riley, 85.4
CB David Amerson, 84.3
LB Malcolm Smith, 83.4
ED Bruce Irvin, 77.0
ED Khalil Mack, 75.7
LB Perry Riley, CB David Amerson shine in win
LB Perry Riley recorded one QB hurry, one run stop, and an 80.5 coverage grade in a well-rounded performance. CB David Amerson continued his ball-hawking ways, intercepting a pass and batting down another; he only gave up three catches on four targets for 31 yards. Edge defender Khalil Mack had one sack and three hurries on 50 pass-rushing snaps.
Quarterback grade: Blake Bortles, 37.2
Bortles’ performance littered with mistakes
Blake Bortles had a rough day against the Raiders' defense. Bortles threw two interceptions when he wasn’t under pressure, and his accuracy to the intermediate level was sub-par, as he only completed two of nine passes targeted between 10-19 yards downfield. Bortles also accomplished a feat rarely witnessed in the NFL, as he drew an intentional grounding penalty on a free play in which the defense was offsides.
Top offensive grades:
WR Marqise Lee, 77.5
C Brandon Linder, 76.2
OT Jermey Parnell, 73.3
WR Arrelious Benn, 71.5
OG A.J. Cann, 70.4
Jaguars’ offense struggles to generate points
WR Marqise Lee was the Jaguars’ most productive offensive player against the Raiders. Lee caught seven of his eight targets and provided 63 yards after the catch to his receiving total of 107 yards for the game. Center Brandon Linder only allowed one QB hurry on his 55 pass-blocking snaps. The Jaguars’ got very little from their ground game against the Raiders, as their running backs only carried the ball 11 times and provided a combined 28 yards after contact.
Top defensive grades:
LB Telvin Smith, 89.0
CB Aaron Colvin, 83.9
LB Paul Posluszny, 80.0
ED Dante Fowler, 76.6
ED Dan Skuta, 74.1
Jaguars’ linebackers impressive in loss
Linebacker Telvin Smith had one QB hit and four run stops against the Raiders. In coverage, Telvin Smith was targeted twice and only allowed one reception for -2 yards; he also knocked one pass down. LB Paul Posluszny added three run stops. Jalen Ramsey is at least getting “lockdown corner” treatment, as he covered Amari Cooper all day and Derek Carr only threw into the rookie's coverage once (for an incompletion).
PFF Game-Ball Winner: Raiders LB Perry Riley
PFF’s player grading process includes multiple reviews, which may change the grade initially published in order to increase its accuracy. Learn more about how we grade and access grades for every player through each week of the NFL season by subscribing to Player Grades.