Raiders rewind: O’Connell’s legs, Pola-Mao’s aggression help snap skid

The long national nightmare is over.

The Raiders (3-12), for the first time since Sept. 29, found a way to win a football game Sunday.

It helped that Jacksonville (3-12) isn’t good, but a win is a win at this point.

Here’s a closer look at how the Raiders snapped their 10-game losing streak:

Putting it into perspective

Everyone understands winning games at this point of the season affects the franchise’s future.

The Raiders, who have been out of the playoff picture for a while, want to secure as good of a draft pick as possible. Every win they get drops them down the board and diminishes their chances of grabbing a franchise-altering player.

But it would be impossible to be in the locker room Sunday and see the joy and relief the win brought the Raiders players and not say it did some good.

Obviously, fans may not care, but the team can take some solace in the fact that it put together a winning game plan.

The Raiders defense has been better at forcing turnovers, their special teams have cleaned up some issues and quarterback Aidan O’Connell has shown he’s competent enough to win when given enough support.

It’s at least something.

Star of the game

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao was an easy choice.

He played an outstanding game, and the third-year safety was rewarded by being named the AFC’s defensive player of the week Tuesday.

Pola-Mao led the team with nine tackles and joined Hall of Famer Charles Woodson as the only defensive backs in franchise history to force two fumbles in the same game.

Pola-Mao also stepped up and filled a key role on the punt team. He took over as the Raiders’ personal protector six days after the Falcons got their hands on two punts in their 15-9 win at Allegiant Stadium on Dec. 16.

The 25-year-old’s versatility stood out on tape. On punt coverage, he was a protector and at one point chased down a punt returner all the way across the field. On defense, he lined up deep most of the time but also got snaps in the box and in the slot.

Pola-Mao kept the defense organized as well. It’s a role he embraced after taking over for safety Marcus Epps, who suffered a season-ending knee injury in Week 3.

“(Pola-Mao has) done it the right way,” coach Antonio Pierce said. “Comes in undrafted, works his way up, special teams, gets a little play here or there on defense, and obviously when the opportunity came up, he was ready. It wasn’t like, ‘Oh, just throw him in.’ No, we were ready for him to play. And all he’s done is taken every advantage of it. He’s vocal. He has a quiet confidence about himself now. He has all the ability in the world. He’s really put himself in a good place and it really started in the offseason when he was here every day after the Super Bowl.”

Play of the game

The Raiders trailed 14-13 in the fourth quarter when O’Connell made the kind of play many doubted he was capable of.

O’Connell, on a third-and-3 from the Jacksonville 47-yard line 1:22 into the fourth quarter, escaped the grasp of Jaguars defensive tackle Maason Smith. He then spun back and created enough space to fire a pass downfield. Running back Ameer Abdullah made a contested catch for a 12-yard gain that gave the Raiders a fresh set of downs.

Abdullah deserves credit for the grab. Left guard Jackson Powers-Johnson, who was beaten by Smith initially, also doubled back to make sure Smith didn’t get another shot.

But O’Connell has been sacked on plays like that before. He refused to go down Sunday. He showed throughout the game he can extend plays, a trait he hasn’t displayed often in his Raiders’ tenure.

The team would have punted if O’Connell had been sacked. Instead, the Raiders extended the drive and Abdullah scored the game-winning touchdown three plays later.

Drive of the game

The Raiders’ fourth-quarter scoring drive was important, but they had another impressive possession that actually ended in a punt.

The team’s defense forced a three-and-out after Abdullah’s touchdown. The Raiders got the ball back at their own 20-yard line with 9:20 remaining on the clock. They didn’t punt until there was 2:52 left and the Jaguars had used one of their three timeouts.

The Raiders ran 10 plays on the drive. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers picked up first downs twice with key receptions, leaving Jacksonville in desperation mode when it finally got the ball back.

What were they thinking?

The Raiders had a stretch of mental lapses in the second quarter that stood out.

Left tackle Kolton Miller and left guard Cody Whitehair committed false starts on consecutive plays. Whitehair was only in the game for a short time in place of an injured Powers-Johnson.

Those penalties turned a third-and-6 for the Raiders into a third-and-16. The Jaguars were offside on back-to-back plays to make it a third-and-6 again, though it all ended up in the wash when O’Connell’s pass to running back Alexander Mattison fell incomplete.

Observations

— The Raiders’ clock-draining drive may have lasted even longer if not for a questionable penalty. Bowers caught a 10-yard pass on a second-and-12 from the 50-yard line, but wide receiver Terrace Marshall Jr. was called for offensive pass interference despite not appearing to make much contact with the defender. The penalty wiped out a potential third-and-2 and gave the Raiders a second-and-22 instead. They punted two plays later.

— Center Andre James had some ups and downs in his return to the lineup. The exchanges were clean, which had been an occasional problem the last few weeks when Powers-Johnson was starting at center. James appeared to get better as the game went on.

— Marshall keeps getting more snaps. He is a talented player and it looks like the Raiders are trying to find ways to get him more involved.

— Cornerback Jack Jones got beat for a deep touchdown for the second consecutive game, but this one was different. Jones was beat on a double move by wide receiver Drake London in man coverage against the Falcons. The one he gave up to rookie wide receiver Brian Thomas Jr. on Sunday appeared to be more of a miscommunication. It looked like safety Tre’von Moehrig dropped into a zone and Jones went to the same area. That left Thomas with plenty of room to work with.

Looking ahead

The Raiders’ next game was highly anticipated when the NFL schedule came out in May, but some of its luster seems to have dimmed.

The team was expected to face former quarterback Derek Carr for the first time in New Orleans on Sunday. Carr, however, has a left-hand injury and hasn’t played in the Saints’ past two games. Neither team is having a great season, but it will be interesting to see if Carr is able to return for New Orleans (5-10).

Contact Adam Hill at ahill@reviewjournal.com. Follow @AdamHillLVRJ on X.