The route that unfolded for DeSean Jackson in the third quarter of Sunday’s game reflected the exact reason the Las Vegas Raiders had signed him in the first place — a deep cut across the middle of the field, and a throw from Derek Carr that opened up their offense and added a new threat to it.
But after Jackson hauled in his first catch in his first game as a Raider, he paused, pivoted back away from the green space in front of him and fumbled the ball away. Tyrann Mathieu, who initially fell after he and Jackson competed for the catch, scooped up the turnover and ran a potential touchdown for the Raiders back in the other direction.
The Raiders trailed Kansas City 24-14 at that point, with under six minutes left in the third quarter, but after that drive, they didn’t score the rest of the game while the Chiefs strung together two drives that ended in touchdowns and another in a field goal en route to their 41-14 win. The Chiefs took over sole possession of first place in the AFC West, while the Raiders dropped into a tie with the Chargers for second — the early-season highs of three consecutive wins now overshadowed by back-to-back losses for a team dealing with multiple controversies. Jackson didn’t record another target or catch outside of that play.
He signed with Las Vegas on Nov. 8 after the team released receiver Henry Ruggs, their former first-round pick who’s facing charges following a fatal DUI crash. Around the same time, Jackson’s time with Los Angeles Rams ended after they tried to trade him, couldn’t find a partner and subsequently waived him — allowing Las Vegas to sign him once he cleared waivers and became a free agent.
Jackson was then active for the first game he was eligible to appear in. He recorded eight catches with the Rams in seven games, continuing a trend where he hasn’t recorded more than 14 in a season since 2018 while with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. This season, his best game came against the Buccaneers in Week 3, when he recorded three catches, on five targets, for 120 yards and a touchdown.
The Raiders play at Allegiant Stadium for the third time in four weeks next Sunday when they host the Cincinnati Bengals.