Moeller: Jaguars Can't Afford to Gamble This One Away in Las Vegas

 For the Jaguars, the time is now.

They’ll get back into action Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas against the hapless Raiders, who have lost four of the last five games and stand at 2-5.

The last time the Jaguars went to the West Coast they were involved in a tight battle with the 49ers, and they dug down deep to pull out a rather unexpected victory.

That catapulted them into their epic Monday night victory over the Chiefs, and the Jags were suddenly in the discussion with the league elites with their 4-1 record.  

Unfortunately, their stay at the top was short lived, as they suddenly slipped through a trap door.

A London loss to the Rams, and a flat game against the Seahawks left them at 4-3, and those postseason aspirations now  have a longer route.

Then there’s the Colts at 7-1, and they’re not going away anytime soon. Daniel Jones has a solid line in front of him, arguably the league’s best running back in Jonathan Taylor, and a bevy of receivers. Their defense is unheralded, and quietly has got the job done. 

New head coach Liam Coen and GM James Gladstone are faced with their first crossroads, and they also have their first trading deadline that ends in a few days. Gladstone added some nice pieces in the offseason, and it will be interesting to see if there is any movement.

Whatever the duo decides, they have the Raiders staring at them Sunday. Vegas decided to keep All-Pro defensive end Maxx Crosby instead of putting him up for sale. 

The Raiders desperately need a win, and new head coach Pete Carroll hasn’t brought the expected, experienced magic. 

However, the Jags need it more. They need to take control early against the reeling Raiders.

A win Sunday can ignite the fuse toward a strength of remaining schedule that is ranked 27th, or the sixth easiest over the remaining 10 games. Through their first seven, the Jags had the third toughest.

Over their last 10 games, the Jags have the Titans twice, the Jets, the Cardinals, the Chargers at home, and the Texans. They also have two dates with the Colts and a trip to Denver.

So, the Jags have it all right in front of them. 

Pick up a win in Las Vegas and then hop a flight to Houston for another tilt that they should win. The Jags will then come home for the Chargers before trips to Arizona and Tennessee.

For the first seven weeks, the defense did most of the carrying for them, while the offense did just enough. Trevor Lawrence, who returned to his home South Carolina for part of the bye week, basically has been inconsistent.

The Jags hopefully will get linebacker Devin LLoyd back into the lineup after a calf injury sidelined him against the Rams. He has been a wrecking crew with his 28 tackles and four interceptions.

Indy, Kansas City, and Denver are emerging as the top dogs in the conference, but the likely wild cards are still in play among a number of teams.

Last year, the Jags had a bad game in a 19-14 loss in Vegas. It was then Mac Jones against Aiden O'Connell and the Jags had a 3-11 record with Vegas at 2-12.

This time around, the Jags apparently have the upper hand, and they can’t afford to gamble this one away.