Chance to Spoil Oakland’s Historical Day Was a ‘Great Motive’ for Jaguars Team Hungry for a Win

Jacksonville's roster was well aware of the historical significance of Sunday's game in Oakland, and it helped fuel them to victory.

When a season goes off the rails as badly as the Jacksonville Jaguars' 2019 has, it could be hard for some to find motivation for the final stretch of games. Most know sweeping changes are coming and that they have to put out the best film possible for job security, but what really drives the team aside from pride could be up in the air. 

For the Jaguars' 20-16 win over the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, however, it was clear what motivated Jacksonville: history. 

It was the last game to be played in the Oakland Coliseum before the Raiders make their move to Las Vegas. Tens of thousands of rowdy fans filled the stadium and its surrounding areas, hoping to see their beloved Raiders win one more in Oakland. Instead, they saw the Jaguars play spoiler.

"It was the last game here. We talked about it with our players a lot," Jaguars head coach Doug Marrone said after the game. "The year hasn’t gone well for us. Today we will at least have something that you might tell your grandchildren about one day. It is a pretty good memory.”

A good memory indeed. Not only did Jacksonville (5-9) snap a five-game losing streak, but they became part of NFL lore forever. No matter what happens for the rest of this season or any other season, Jacksonville will be known as the last team to ever win in Oakland. 

This fact wasn't lost on Jacksonville's locker room, either. Nor was the fact that the alternative result would also land them in the history books.

“Oh I mean we definitely needed this. I told guys before we hit the field. This is the 100th anniversary of the NFL. I don’t want to be sitting on the couch 20 or 30 years later, and I see us on ESPN Classic because they’re playing the last time in the Coliseum and we’re out there getting our ass beat," defensive tackle Abry Jones said after the game.

"I told them I’m not trying to be that guy on the couch, so we made sure we came out and got that."

Defensive lineman Calais Campbell is one of the true football historians inside the Jaguars' locker room, often reflecting on his love for the game's past. For him to be able to walk into a historic atmosphere like Sunday's, with NFL legends flanking each sideline, it was a big moment for the veteran.

"Yeah, I mean all week I was just thinking about how historic this place is, this city, football in this city, the legendary coaches, legendary players, legendary owner," Campbell said Sunday. "Football is big in this building and just to be a part of it in the last game here and to pull out a win it feels good. We wanted to play well. It was a great motive for us. The whole game we just kept believing and found a way to get it done baby. Just win baby.”

One player who especially basked in the football history his team made Sunday was Jaguars quarterback Gardner Minshew II. Minshew led a game-winning drive, throwing a four-yard touchdown to Chris Conley with 0:34 left on the clock to give Jacksonville the lead. It was a signature moment for Minshew's rookie season, and it came on a grand stage. 

For the rookie, winning on Sunday and winning in the manner they did was a big deal. It showed Minshew was the correct option over Nick Foles, but also that he should probably be in the conversation for being the starter in 2020.

But on Sunday, Minshew wasn't thinking about any of that. He was thinking about the history made. 

“It was awesome. It’s a piece of football history. Something special to be a part of," he said after the game. "It will be an Aflac trivia question 20 years from now, so it’s definitely going to be cool to be a part of that.”