Jaguars spoil final game in Oakland
Minshew tosses 2 late TD passes to steal win before frustrated fans
OAKLAND, Calif. — The Raiders fans came out to the Oakland Coliseum one last time hoping for a celebration. Gardner Minshew and the Jacksonville Jaguars had other ideas.
Minshew threw two TD passes to Chris Conley in the final 5:15 of the game and the Jaguars spoiled the final scheduled game at the Coliseum by beating the Raiders 20-16 on Sunday.
“It was definitely an awesome experience to be here and play in the last game,” Minshew said. “Probably saw more middle fingers today than I have in my whole life. They have a good time. It was fun to ruin that for them.”
The Raiders (6-8) broke out to a 16-3 lead and appeared comfortably ahead before falling apart in the closing minutes to put a damper on an already somber day in Oakland.
The Jaguars (5-9) drove 79 yards to draw within 16-13 on Minshew’s 6-yard TD pass to Conley.
The Raiders tried to run out the clock and got a pair of firstdown runs from Josh Jacobs and another from Derek Carr. But Carr was ruled out of bounds with 2:05 to play after trying to slide down inbound, sparing the Jaguars from using a timeout.
“Very, very shocked,” Carr said about the call. “One of the more shocking ones of my life, to be honest. I understand the rule a little differently, I guess.”
Oakland then got a delay-ofgame in the confusion and Tyrell Williams dropped a third-down pass. Daniel Carlson then missed a 50-yard field goal, only to get another chance after Parry Nickerson was called for running into the kicker.
Carlson missed again from 45 yards and the Jaguars took over at the 35 with 1:44 to go. Minshew moved them down the field and connected with Conley on the 4-yard score with 31 seconds left.
“I used to play in Kansas City and I used to play Oakland a lot,” Conley said. “There’s a rich history that this organization has and a lot of history here in this stadium. To be able to not only be a part of the last game played here but to come out and win in that fashion is a story I’ll be able to tell my kids. It’s a proud place to be.”
The soon-to-be Las Vegas Raiders moved the ball to the Jacksonville 40, but Carr’s two desperation throws in the closing seconds fell incomplete and the Jaguars held on for the win.
Some frustrated fans threw debris on the field but most just sat quietly in the stands after the last of 327 games played at the Coliseum as the “Autumn Wind” theme played. Several Raiders, including Carr, walked to the Black Hole to thank the fans, many of whom booed as Carr ran off the field for the final time.
“It’s heartbreaking,” safety
Erik Harris said. “Walking around the stadium you see people in tears and stuff like that. Unfortunately we couldn’t come out and get the win for them and send them out in the right way.”
It was a day with plenty of emotions from the fans who have been part of the Black Hole for years and the former players who came back to pay their final respects to Oakland. The pregame environment was mostly celebratory with fans soaking it all in at the tailgates.
Security guards surrounded the field beginning late in the third quarter in hopes of preventing fans from rushing on the field, and the biggest issue during the game came early in the fourth quarter when referee Bradley Rogers politely asked fans not to shine lasers on the field.
A few fans rushed the field well after the game and some lit off fireworks in the parking lots well after the stands had emptied.
The game had little meaning on the standings as the Jaguars came in on a five-game losing streak and the Raiders had dropped three in a row, all by at least 21 points.
The Raiders broke out to a 16-3 lead thanks to a 40-yard TD pass from Carr to Williams on the first drive and three field goals by Carlson. But Oakland didn’t score again and lost.
“It’s not really the result today, it’s the results of the Raiders over the years,” coach Jon Gruden said. “The Oakland Raiders — it’s the appreciation, the loyalty these fans have had for the Raiders. We’re going to miss them. The relationship hopefully will never end. It was sad walking in here today and it will be sad walking out for the last time.”
Coliseum goodbye
The Raiders showed a highlight video of their history at a halftime ceremony. Dozens of former Raiders players including Hall of Famers like Marcus Allen and Fred Biletnikoff were honored on the field with Charles Woodson addressing the crowd at the Coliseum.
Woodson said the players came back to root on the team and to thank the Oakland fans who have supported the team through the years.
“You’ve been here through the ups. You’ve been here through the downs. But you’ve never wavered,” Woodson told the crowd.
He then led the crowd in a resounding chant of “Rai-ders! Rai-ders!”
Injuries
Jaguars: DE Josh Allen (shoulder) left the game with a shoulder injury.
Raiders: RB Jacobs played despite being limited by a shoulder injury.
Up next
Jaguars: Visit Atlanta on Sunday.
Raiders: Visit Los Angeles Chargers on Sunday.