Week 9 NFL Deep Dive: Jaguars Edge Raiders In OT, Little Sets New Kicking Record

By Peter Mann

Record -breaking Field Goal; hat-trick of TDs from a Tight End; two quarterbacks mustering their inner chess master in an eventual, back-and-forth contest.

As games go, this past Sunday’s ‘Deep Dive’ contest at the Allegiant Stadium, between the Las Vegas Raiders and Jacksonville Jaguars, really looked like it was going to turn into a damp squib, even more so after their respective outings.

Pete Carroll’s whimpering Raiders, hard to say as a Raiders fan as well, had mustered two wins in the first half of the season and, prior to the bye week, had suffered an embarrassingly heavy shut-out loss to divisional rivals, Kansas City Chiefs.

Meanwhile, their visitors, Liam Coen’s Jacksonville Jaguars, had won four from their first five outings before back-to-back losses ahead of the bye week, their last outing before facing the Raiders, a dismal showing against the Los Angeles Rams, at Wembley Stadium, London.

Something surely had to give in this one; really, it should have!!

The game was the healthiest the Raiders have been since the start of the season and, in all essence, it actually showed as tight end Brock Bowers showed the Raider Nation just what they’d been missing.

Mind you, if the majority of the first half as a whole was anything to go by, you’d have perhaps thought that neither franchise had turned up, they cancelling each out that much that it would not be until the final minute of the second quarter things started to bubble.

The Raiders were pushing, relentlessly upfield with home quarterback, Geno Smith, using both Michael Mayer and Brock Bowers to good effect throughout the passage of play; then, with thirty-five seconds of the half remaining, Smith connected with Bowers for a stunning, one-handed, reverse catch, landing on his rear in the endzone. Unfortunately for the Raiders, Carlson’s missed extra did eventually prove costly.

At just 22-years-old, big things are expected of the Raiders star, California-born Bowers a first round draft pick from the Georgia Bulldogs in 2024; his rookie season in the NFL would see Bowers set two records in most receptions by a rookie (112), and most receiving yards in a rookie season by a tight end (1,194).

Unfortunately, Bowers picked up a PCL injury and bone bruising in his left knee, in the season opener against New England, playing through the next few weeks before being sidelined, returning for on-field game-time in this contest.

Then, as the half trickled towards its close, and with the Raiders leading by six, the Jags kicker, Cameron Little, opted to go for three, in stunning fashion.

Having kicked a 70yd effort in a recent, preseason game, Little put the football down for what would be an NFL record-setting, 68yd FG attempt, it sailing between the uprights after low trajectory, beautifully driven kick from the former Arkansas Razorbacks player, his 39th from 40 of the 46 attempted overall.

Twenty-four times in the past five years has an NFL player kicked successfully from 60+yds, this from Little edging the 66yd FG from the Baltimore Ravens’ Justin Tucker, against the Detroit Lions, in September 2021, whilst Brandon Aubrey (2024) and Chase McLaughlin (2025) have both registered from 65yds.

Overall, Tom Dempsey’s 63yd FG for New Orleans Saints against Detroit Lions, back in November 1970, is still sitting in the top ten successful attempts, among which is a former Raiders kicker in ‘Seabass,’ Sebastian Janikowski, and his 63yd score against rivals, Denver Broncos, fourteen years ago.

Where this contest was concerned however, Raiders – Jaguars, in early November 2025, that FG score saw a 6-3 half-time score ascertained.

Even the third quarter didn’t bring much to the table either, the chess game played out between Carroll and Coen setting up for a squib of a stalemate; Cam Little kicked through a 33yd FG with a little under ten minutes left in the quarter, tying the game at sixes, before Daniel Carlson, three minutes later, produced a 24yd FG to restore the three-point advantage.

Despite a couple of fouls being called in the immediate aftermath, the score stood with the Raiders leading 9-6 at the end of the third quarter; it really is hard to think that, with what had happened beforehand, and only fifteen points registered – one touchdown and three field goals, that what happened next, actually happened.

All the stars came out to play in the fourth quarter, both franchises notching a pair of touchdown scores, with another field goal for added measure, as some thirty-one points were scored….. yes, struggling to fifteen points over the first three quarters, and twice as many in the fourth quarter – it got excitingly hectic.

Jags quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, registered the first of his two, rushing touchdowns, taking the ball into the endzone himself on a seven-yard score to put his side in-front for the first time, whilst five minutes later Raiders star running back, Ashton Jeanty, claimed from Smith, slips, shifts and sprints for the endzone, for the sixth score of his fledgling career.

Bhayshul Tuten was next into the endzone, the Jaguars running back drafted from Virginia Tech Hokies as a fourth round pick, dives over the flailing Raiders after a quick hand-off from Lawrence, and there was still four minutes of football to play.

Two-minute warning was the notice for Smith to again give the Raider Nation hope of win, again connecting with tight end, Bowers, this over 27yds and the Riders led by three going into the final throes, throes that would see Little do at the end of the fourth as he had at the end of the second, kick through to keep the Jaguars in the contest.

This time a slightly closer, 48yd FG attempt from Little and the game concluded at 23-23, and headed for OT, and DaVon Hamilton’s moment.

The Jaguars had the football first, eventually closing out a drive with Lawrence squeezing home a close-range, game-winning score, he utilising the speed and power of Travis Etienne to maximum effect in the play.

Etienne, a first round pick from the Clemson Tigers back in 2021 (the same as team-mate, Lawrence), has been a solid running back for the Jaguars, despite not playing in his first season in Florida; a 2021 preseason game with New Orleans Saints saw him ruled out for the season following a Lisfranc injury which required surgery.

Returning in 2022, Etienne is closing in on sixty appearances for the franchise, and has, over those three-and-a-half seasons, registered 3.205yds (rush), 1,126yds (rec) and 20+ TDs.

With the Jaguars leading by seven heading into the final thirty seconds, Geno Smith and the Raiders had no choice but to go for it; they did, and it failed, with Smith perhaps going for the wrong option at the worst time.

Hitting Bowers for the Raiders TEs third of the game with sixteen seconds remaining, pulling them within a point, Smith called immediately for a 2-point conversion and, perhaps taking a little longer to decide than he should have done, was maybe better served going right instead of left.

Instead, Smith chose left, which was blocked by the outstretched arms of Jags’ defensive tackle, DaVon Hamilton, the former Ohio State Buckeyes player now in his sixth season in Florida, and closing in on eighty appearances.

Coming out of the game, statistically for the Las Vegas Raiders registered the following – Geno Smith 29/39, 284yds, 4TDs (pass); Brock Bowers 127yds, 3TDs (rec), Ashton Jeanty 47yds, 1TD (rec); Daniel Carlson 1/1 FG, 24lng, 2/3PATs

Replying for the Jaguars was as follows – Trevor Lawrence 23/34, 220yds (pass), 24yds, 2TDs (rush); Bhayshul Toten 9cars, 29ydsm 1TD (rush); Camerin Little 3/3FGs, 68lng, 3/3PATs

Defeat for the Carroll’s Raiders saw them fall to 2-6 and prop up the AFC West ahead of an even tougher assignment in their next outing, visiting Mile High and the 7-2 divisional leaders, Denver Broncos, who blitzed the Dallas Cowboys 44-24 in the weekend opener.  

Coen’s Jaguars meanwhile moved to a commendable, 5-3 in the AFC South; sitting in second place behind the 7-2 Indianapolis Colts, the Jaguars head to the NRG Stadium, home of the 3-5 Houston Texans on Sunday.  

PETER MANN

NFL ANALYST

PETER IS A LIFELONG SPORTS FAN, JOURNALIST AND AUTHOR BASED IN COUNTY DURHAM. HE HAS FOLLOWED THE NFL AND THE RAIDERS SINCE THE 1980s, AND LOVES BOTH SPORTS AND FAMILY HISTORY. PETER HAS A DEGREE IN SPORT & EXERCISE PSYCHOLOGY, AND CAN BE FOUND ON TWITTER @petermannwriter

 
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