Now that we’re down to the last three weeks of 2024’s NFL regular season, things are getting tense for the Raiders. Following their 15-9 loss—the team’s 10th in a row—to the Falcons on December 16, coach Antonio Pierce has been feeling the heat. In particular, reports indicate that GM Tom Telesco is beginning to separate himself from the coach behind the scenes amid rumors that Pierce may have to end his tenure in Las Vegas at the end of the season.
Fortunately, Pierce and the Raiders still have a few chances to redeem themselves before the new year. They’ve got three matches to go—and its upcoming Week 16 game with the Jacksonville Jaguars on the 22nd is among the most highly anticipated. As both teams recorded less-than-stellar performances this year, they’ll be fighting for the privilege of getting the first overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Currently, the Raiders are favored to win, potentially making this match just what they need to set themselves up for the next regular season. With the latest injury report from the Jaguars adding offensive tackle Walter Little and tight end Brenton Strange to their list of limited players—making for a total of four compared to the Raiders’ two—the Las Vegas team already has a leg up for Sunday’s game.
However, that’s not the only reason the Raiders are currently the favorite to win among sports analysts and bettors alike.
Raiders hyped for a win in lead-up to Sunday’s match
When it comes to assessing the Raiders’ 2024 performance, one can conclude that injuries and defense are the two key factors that held the team back. That was made especially apparent after an ankle injury put Maxx Crosby out for the season, which dealt a significant blow to the Raiders’ overall defense capabilities. However, the team’s been improving with every match. With over half of their 12 losses this season coming about as a result of a touchdown or less, the Raiders have fewer gaps to plug if they want to up the ante during their last three games for 2024.
They can use that to their advantage this Sunday as the Jaguars’ performance continues to flag. The latter team’s 2024 losses began after it fumbled the ball by two yards, losing them a match to the Miami Dolphins last September. Analyses from Sports Illustrated note that the Jaguars effectively became their own worst enemy for the rest of the season, leaving them “playing for pride” as they prepare for the last three games of their 2024 run.
That flagging determination to win can be paired with the fact that while the Jaguars are very capable on the offensive, the lack of depth in the roster drafted by GM Trent Baalke means their defense leaves much to be desired. One of their main challenges lies in stopping wide receivers, with the Jaguars particularly struggling against former Raiders wide receiver Davante Adams in Week 16. This is one area where the Raiders have notably improved, even with Adams being traded to the New York Jets in October.
Thanks to a wide receiver group comprising Jakobi Meyers, Tre Tucker, and DJ Turner, the team has caught the third most passes in the NFL thus far, behind only the Dallas Cowboys and Houston Texans. That’s allowed it to effectively fill the vacuum Adams left behind and handily step up against teams like the Cleveland Browns—and it’s one aspect where they can put up a respectable fight against the Jaguars during Sunday’s match. This improved wide receiver capability, combined with the current number of limited players on the side of the Jaguars, contributes to current ESPN estimates that the Raiders have a 59.2% chance of winning their next game.
What a Jaguars vs. Raiders match means for bettors
Though the Raiders definitely have factors working in their favor, they’ll still be playing against a team that has a better overall standing for 2024—with the Jaguars boasting 3-11 against their 2-12. That makes Sunday’s match the kind bettors look forward to.
Football is already the biggest sport in the US, meaning NFL games are the most popular to speculate on—with Americans betting over $95 billion with sportsbooks over the years. The average NFL bettor is also well-versed in the most effective tools and strategies available to place informed bets, which is why they leverage modern online betting platforms. Betting behemoth Thunderpick is an authority in this space, where NFL fans go, looking for the best possible odds so they can make substantial bets. The betting portal facilitates live in-play betting for other major sporting leagues as well, allowing both fiat and cryptocurrency bets. It also offers detailed analytical insights for key factors like quarter under/over and under/over betting lines, including overtime.
Because of these features, avid fans use such platforms alongside reports on player performance and injuries to make educated guesses about match outcomes. By collating, analyzing, and garnering insights about upcoming NFL games with the right tools and research, many bettors have gleaned information about the aforementioned advantages the Raiders will have against the Jaguars on Sunday and have thus earmarked them as their favored winner.
However, the reason why things aren’t so cut and dry—and why the match will still be exciting to anticipate, watch, and speculate on—is because the Jaguars can still pull an upset win. If the Jaguars manage to exceed expectations by outperforming on the offensive and stepping up their defense—especially when it comes to blocking wide receivers—they can flip the odds and force bettors to change their betting lines away from the Raiders in-game.
As underdogs themselves, the Raiders have also been known to deliver upset wins that throw bettors off, with the Las Vegas-based Red Rock Resort sportsbook noting that they particularly confounded speculators after their surprise victory against the Browns in Week 4. That said, the outcome of their upcoming match is still up in the air—but with the Raiders expected to bring the game home, fans, bettors, and analysts alike have much to look forward to.
x: @raidersbeat
They better not win. Let’s gat a look at all the younger guys to see what we have for next year.
But like they usually do they will win 2 of the last 3 games and blow their shot at drafting top two QBs without trading the farm.
Just lose baby!!!!