It’s been 84 years…or at least it feels that way. The streak is finally over! The Las Vegas Raiders win a football game and for the first time since Week 4! They defeated the Jacksonville Jaguars in a battle of the bad by the score of 19-14.

This victory can have people feel a certain way. This victory also can have you look at it in more than one way. I’m not here to determine how you feel about the Raiders victory. Sure, it could move them back in the upcoming NFL Draft. So if you are part of that crowd then this article may not be for you. Although, this was a win that was a good win. This team battled defensively and earned their victory. In a season that has been full of negatives, I’m choosing positive in this one.

Defense Came Up Big When It Had To

No Maxx Crosby? No problem. Sure Mac Jones was the quarterback, but the Raiders defense held the Jaguars offense in check for a good portion of the contest. After they gave up the first touchdown of the game, the Raiders held the Jaguars offense off the board for the entire first half. The Jaguars had a chance to add points on the board at the end of the half, but former Jaguar K’Lavon Chiasson made a sensational stop to prevent that.

Jones eventually managed to beat the Raiders secondary. After a missed field goal by Daniel Carlson, Jones found Brian Thomas Jr. for a 62 yard touchdown that put the Jaguars ahead. Where have I seen this story before. The Raiders defense did enough to give the offense a chance and the offense couldn’t deliver and it results in a loss. Story got flipped today.

Aidan O’Connell led the Raiders to an impressive 70 yard drive and the Raiders retook the lead. Here’s where the defense came ready to play and where they earned their victory.

Jones made the Raiders work for it, putting together a good drive. Tyree Wilson put the pressure on him on second down. Hats off to safety Trevon Moehrig capitalizing on a blitz and having Jones throw it away. It set up a crucial fourth and one and thankfully due to a holding play, it came back. Coverage held up on fourth down and the Raiders defense secured the victory.

This is now two weeks in a row where the Raiders defense held its own. Sure, it was the Jaguars, but doing it despite the key injuries is something to tip your cap to.

Running backs ACTUALLY Did Something

There is nothing uglier than the Raiders run game. I am not sure it matters who is behind the Raiders offensive line, finding running lanes is hard to come by. The run blocking is atrocious and the run game has yet to be established. Definitely something that should be a priority this offseason. However, in a shocking manner the running backs came to life and played a huge factor on the scoreboard.

The yardage is nothing to blow your mind. Ameer Abdullah finished with 38 yards on seven carries, with Alexander Mattison having 27 yards on 12 carries. That’s not exactly moving the needle but both players managed to find the end zone. Abdullah helped cap off the 70 yard drive, giving him his first touchdown since October 6th when they took on the Denver Broncos. Mattison also found the end zone when the team was right on the goal line.

The run game has been an issue all season long. Sincere McCormick was showing flashes of promise with strong runs. It’s a small positive, but seeing the running backs do something positive is something worth noting about.

Brock Bowers on Cusp of History

Brock Bowers will ALWAYS be the talk of the Raiders until the end of the season. It has been touched on by myself numerous times, but he is worth noting about. On his first reception of the game, Bowers reached the 1,000 yard mark in his rookie season. He is the third rookie tight end to reach the mark and the first tight end EVER to have 100 catches. He has been everything you could ask for in a rookie and has been the heartbeat to the offense. The last 1,000 yard player that was a tight end for the Raiders was Darren Waller (2020).

Bowers is not done though and this is not the only historic part. Bowers now has the fourth most receptions among any player in team history through their first 15 games donning the Silver and Black.

Bowers currently sits at 1,067 receiving yards and is nine yards away from tying Mike Ditka’s record. Safe to say, that will be broken and Bowers will further etch himself into the NFL history books.