O'Connell passes for 257 yards and Raiders snap 10-game skid with 19-14 win over Jaguars

LAS VEGAS (AP) — Raiders owner Mark Davis made the rounds Sunday to congratulate the players as music blared inside the locker room.

It didn't matter to Davis or the players that Las Vegas had just damaged its chances of securing the No. 1 overall draft pick in next year's NFL draft.

The Raiders had finally won — for the first time in nearly three months.

Aidan O'Connell returned from an injury and passed for 257 yards, and the Raiders ended a 10-game losing streak with a 19-14 victory over the Jacksonville Jaguars.

“Just to come in here and win,” Raiders tight end Brock Bowers said. “The vibes are way better.”

The Raiders, whose skid was the longest active streak in the NFL, won for the first time since beating the Cleveland Browns 20-16 on Sept. 29. The victory, however, means the Raiders (3-12) moved ahead of the league-worst New York Giants (2-13). The team with the worst record is in line for the top pick in next year's draft, and the Raiders are sixth at this point, according to Tankathon.

Not that Las Vegas coach Antonio Pierce wanted to hear about the implications of possibly missing out on a top quarterback in the draft.

“Talk to (general manager) Tom Telesco,” Pierce said.

Jacksonville (3-12) has lost seven of its last eight games and is 2-9 in one-score contests, and moved up to third in the draft order, according to the website.

O'Connell made his first start in two weeks. He didn't play in Monday night's 15-9 loss to Atlanta because of a left knee injury.

“It was just fun to see the smiles again,” O'Connell said. “It's a big part of why you play the game. To not have it for 10 weeks in a row is tough.”

Bowers caught 11 passes for 99 yards, leaving him 10 yards away from breaking Mike Ditka’s 63-year-old NFL rookie record for tight ends. Ditka had 1,076 yards in 1961. Bowers did become the third rookie tight end to reach 1,000 yards in a season, joining Ditka and Atlanta’s Kyle Pitts in 2021.

Jacksonville's Brian Thomas Jr. caught nine passes for 132 yards and a touchdown, giving him 73 catches this season and breaking the rookie club record of 64 set by Justin Blackmon in 2012. Thomas also is the Jaguars' rookie record holder for receiving yards (1,087) and touchdowns (nine).

Mac Jones passes for 247 yards and a TD for the Jaguars.

But the Jaguars also lost two fumbles, committed eight penalties for 60 yards and had 15 first downs.

“It’s the most frustrating thing that I’ve ever seen or been a part of,” Jaguars coach Doug Pederson said. "Obviously, it’s something that’s been holding us back all year. Gosh, at some point you would think that enough would be enough. We’d learn from it. Move on. But it seems to be plaguing us each week.”

Safety Isaiah Pola-Mao forced both fumbles, becoming the first Raiders defensive back since Charles Woodson in 1999 to create more than one.

“That's pretty cool, but I'm glad we got the dub,” Pola-Mao said. “That's more than anything.”

This is the first game this season in which the Raiders did not trail by double digits. Their 14-game streak to open a season was second only to the Indianapolis Colts' steak of 16 games in 1986.

The Raiders’ 10-game losing streak was the fifth-longest in franchise history, and their longest since dropping 16 in a row between the 2013-14 seasons.

Las Vegas even had a chance to go up two possessions late in the third quarter, but Daniel Carlson missed a 46-yard field goal to the left with 2:18 left. Jacksonville capitalized when Jones found a wide-open Thomas deep on the left side of the field for a 62-yard touchdown and 14-13 lead with 54 seconds left in the third.

Las Vegas answered with a 10-play, 70-yard drive that culminated in Ameer Abdullah's 7-yard scoring run less than four minutes into the fourth quarter. O'Connell's pass on a 2-point conversion was overthrown, leaving the Raiders with a 19-14 lead.

Jaguars: LT Walker Little (ankle), RT Anton Harrison (shoulder), S Darnell Savage (concussion) and LB Ventrell Miller (ankle) were hurt.

Raiders: CBs Nate Hobbs (illness) and Sam Webb (back/illness) and G Jordan Meredith (ankle) did not play.

Jaguars: Host Tennessee on Sunday.

Raiders: Visit New Orleans on Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Jacksonville Jaguars safety Andre Cisco (5) and Jaguars safety Daniel Thomas (20) walk off the field after an NFL football game loss against the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Raiders won 19-14.(AP Photo/John Locher)

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell smiles as he waves to the crowd as he runs off the field after an NFL football game against the Jacksonville Jaguars Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. The Raiders won 19-14.(AP Photo/David Becker)

Jacksonville Jaguars quarterback Mac Jones throws against the Las Vegas Raiders during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Las Vegas Raiders safety Thomas Harper (34) recovers a rumble against Jacksonville Jaguars tight end Brenton Strange (85) during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)

Jacksonville Jaguars running back Tank Bigsby (4) runs for a first down against the Las Vegas Raiders defense, including Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao (20), during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell runs with the ball against the Jacksonville Jaguars during the first half of an NFL football game Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/David Becker)

MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. (AP) — The Miami Dolphins were not ready for their season to be over, even after a disappointing loss at Houston last week that narrowed their faint playoff hopes.

“The whole year, even when things weren't going our way, I always knew we had a playoff team," said cornerback Kader Kohou. "So there's not any thoughts in our mind about going to Cancun or anything like that. We're still thinking playoffs, and we're just trying to win every game.”

Kohou helped keep those playoff chances alive when he intercepted 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy late in Miami's 29-17 win over San Francisco on Sunday.

Tua Tagovailoa threw for 215 yards and a touchdown, and Jason Sanders kicked five field goals. The Dolphins (7-8) will need to win their final two games and get help from losses by the Broncos and Chargers to make the postseason.

The 49ers (6-9) were eliminated from the postseason before the game because of wins by the Los Angeles Rams and Washington Commanders earlier Sunday. The loss ensured that last year’s NFC champions will have a losing season for the first time since 2020.

Coach Kyle Shanahan said he found out after the game that his team was eliminated, but “we kind of had that vibe last week. I know it wasn’t official, but we understand numbers, so we kind of knew that last week.”

Trailing by nine early in the fourth, Purdy found tight end Eric Saubert for a 2-yard score that cut the lead to 19-17, but the Niners couldn't get past self-inflicted wounds.

After punting the ball back to Miami with 6:45 left, San Francisco was hit with consecutive penalties for illegal substitution, unnecessary roughness and offsides to give Miami 25 yards, helping set up Sanders' 48-yard field goal that stretched the Dolphins' lead to five. The 49ers were penalized 11 times total for 90 yards.

Kohou then intercepted Purdy on the next drive after the quarterback was pressured by defensive tackle Calais Campbell. Dolphins running back De'Von Achane sealed it with a 50-yard touchdown run.

“There’s a lot of fight left in us," Campbell said. "If we have a chance, we’re going to fight for it.

“I was proud of my guys. We kept believing and kept fighting. As long as we’re alive, we’re going to act like we’re alive.”

Tagovailoa finished 22 of 34. Purdy was 26 of 40 for 313 yards and two touchdowns.

Tyreek Hill's inconsistent season continued. He caught just 3 of 7 targets for 29 yards and a touchdown, with drops on the first two drives of the game and another on a potential touchdown in the third.

After the game, Hill took accountability for the poor performance.

“I completely blame myself for not getting my head around (on the first drop) and not seeing the ball," Hill said, “because if I see the ball, we’re talking cross-court, 70-yard touchdown.”

Jonnu Smith caught six passes for 62 yards to set the Dolphins' single-season franchise record for receptions (76) and receiving yards (802) by a tight end.

Sanders was 5 of 5, including a 54-yarder, which made him 11 of 13 on field goals of 50-plus yards this year. San Francisco's Jake Moody missed a 41-yarder in the third.

Deebo Samuel caught his first touchdown since Week 6 on a 16-yard score in which he muscled through several defenders on his way into the end zone.

Miami moved into 49ers territory three times in the first half but settled for field goals before Hill's 3-yard touchdown catch from Tagovailoa that put the Dolphins ahead with 3:20 left in the second.

Purdy then drove San Francisco 67 yards down the field to set up Moody's 21-yard field goal to cut Miami's lead to 13-10 at halftime.

“That was something that we needed to see as a team together," Tagovailoa said of the win. "You could see in all three phases that we were able to play the complementary football that we said we wanted to play.”

49ers: LB Dre Greenlaw (right calf), LG Aaron banks (knee) and LT Jaylon Moore (quad) left with injuries. ... DE Leonard Floyd played through a shoulder injury suffered in the first quarter.

Dolphins: WR Jaylen Waddle did not play because of a knee injury suffered last week. ... CB Kendall Fuller (knee) and LB Jordyn Brookes (quad/knee) left in the second half.

49ers: Host Detroit on Monday Dec. 30.

Dolphins: At Cleveland next Sunday.

AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) scores a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

San Francisco 49ers tight end Eric Saubert (82) catches a pass for a touchdown during the second half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) runs with the football during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) is unable to catch a pass as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Deommodore Lenoir (2) defends during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins cornerbacks Storm Duck (36) and Siran Neal (33) celebrate after San Francisco 49ers place kicker Jake Moody (4) missed a field goal during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Dolphins wide receiver Tyreek Hill (10) catches a pass for a touchdown as San Francisco 49ers cornerback Charvarius Ward (7) gives him a push during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) aims a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

San Francisco 49ers quarterback Brock Purdy (13) aims a pass during the first half of an NFL football game against the Miami Dolphins, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Deebo Samuel Sr. (1) breaks up a tackle by Miami Dolphins defensive tackle Zach Sieler (92) to score a touchdown during the first half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)

Miami Dolphins place kicker Jason Sanders (7) kicks a field goal during the second half of an NFL football game, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Rebecca Blackwell)

Miami Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa (1) pitches the football to Miami Dolphins running back De'Von Achane (28) during the second half of an NFL football game against the San Francisco 49ers, Sunday, Dec. 22, 2024, in Miami Gardens, Fla. (AP Photo/Lynne Sladky)