Can Jaguars Out-Gain Raiders on the Ground?

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders offenses this season have not been terrific, but the one aspect that the Jaguars hold is some offense in their rushing game. Can they outrush their opponents on Sunday?

Dec 15, 2024; Jacksonville, Florida, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones (10) hands off to Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) against the New York Jets in the second quarter at EverBank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images | Nathan Ray Seebeck-Imagn Images

The Jacksonville Jaguars and Las Vegas Raiders run into each other on Sunday in Week 16, but neither team's seasons have gone the way the franchises wanted. With both teams being down and out of all competition and aiming for a top draft pick, their might be a small amount of offense on Sunday.

When looking at the statistics both teams bring to the game, the Jaguars hold a higher rushing number than the Raiders do this season, but can the Jaguars outrush the Raiders? The short answer would be, most likely, that crazier things have happened in a football game, especially what we have seen throughout this 2024-25 season.

Going into Week 16, the Jaguars average 101.6 rushing yards per game, as the Raiders bring in the last spot out of all NFL teams in average rushing yards, with 78.1 per game. Though the Raiders have veteran running backs Alexander Mattison and Ameer Abdullah, as well as an emerging star in Sincere McCormick, the Raiders rushing game has been the downfall of their offense this season.

The Jaguar's main rushing threats lie with Travis Ettiene and Tank Bigsby. Etienne has transitioned more into a pass-rush role for the Jaguars, as Bigsby is their main rushing threat when going up the middle. On the season, Bigsby leads the Jaguars in rushing yards with 644 yards, as Etienne places second and obtains 456 yards.

Looking at the whole offensive outlook on ESPN, the Jaguars have an edge against the Raiders, as they average more total yardage in their games than the Raiders have. The Jaguars rank 26th as an overall team on offense, and the Raiders rank 28th. If it weren't for star tight end Brock Bowers and young Jaguars rookie Brian Thomas Jr, the offensives may be ranked at 31 and 32 on the season.

If the Jaguars want to find a dominant way to victory over the Raiders, they must find ways to get Bigsby the ball to power through the Raiders' 17th-ranked rushing defense. While the offensives do not match up to other leaders in the AFC, the combination of success for the Jaguars in their recent rushing game may benefit them more when they take on the Raiders, who traditionally put up very low rushing numbers.

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