The Las Vegas Raiders have now lost five of their last six games. But Sunday’s overtime loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars did more than just add a loss. The Raiders had a chance to turn things around at home against an injury-plagued Jaguars team, but the overtime proceedings ended up bringing a painful flashback for a certain NFL legend.

One controversial call got former New England Patriots wide receiver Julian Edelman’s attention in a major way. The overtime game between the Raiders and Jaguars saw a dramatic deflection by DaVon Hamilton, who batted down Geno Smith’s pass during a two-point conversion attempt. Watching the play unfold, Edelman immediately thought back to Super Bowl XLIX, when Carroll made the same fateful choice. He was then asked if he was okay with the Raiders going for two at the end.

Edelman said, “I’m okay with them going for two. Ah, you know, it’s no surprise Pete Carroll throws the ball in the goal line. I know a little thing about that.”

Edelman recalled the painful Super Bowl moment involving Pete Carroll’s call. With 26 seconds remaining in the game, the Seahawks faced a critical second-and-goal situation at the Patriots’ 1-yard line. Rather than handing the ball to the then star running back Marshawn Lynch, Carroll called a slant route intended for receiver Ricardo Lockette. Patriots cornerback Malcolm Butler read the play perfectly and intercepted the pass at the goal line, sealing New England’s victory.

And Sunday felt like Deja vu. Geno Smith, who threw for 284 yards and four touchdowns, was attempting to connect with Tyler Lockett in the end zone, but his efforts ultimately fell short, and Jacksonville walked out with a 30-29 overtime win.

However, Carroll didn’t second-guess the call at all.

“I didn’t even feel like it was much of a decision at all,” Pete Carroll said after the loss. “I thought we won the game because Geno went right to [Lockett]. It was exactly right. We just got the ball knocked down.”

He wasn’t the only one who showed up big for Las Vegas. Brock Bowers, playing in his first game since missing three with a knee injury, turned in a dominant performance. The tight end hauled in 12 catches for 127 yards and three touchdowns. Bowers became the first Raiders tight end to score three touchdowns in a single game since Todd Christensen did it back in 1986.​

“It just stinks that we didn’t come out [on] top,” Bowers said. “We trust our guys to go out and make plays, and we just came up a little short.”

Even with Smith playing his best game and Bowers looking like the elite talent everyone knows he is, the Raiders still found a way to lose. As the frustration builds in Vegas, the pressure on Carroll to turn things around is starting to grow louder.

Pete Carroll faces mounting pressure as the Raiders struggle

Despite the strong offensive effort, the Raiders’ struggles on special teams and defense surfaced again. Daniel Carlson missed an extra point in the second quarter, and the defense surrendered 187 yards in the second half as Jacksonville converted 9 of 16 third downs. These breakdowns underscored the difficulties the team has faced throughout the season.

Reflecting on the loss, defensive end Maxx Crosby didn’t sugarcoat it, “This one definitely hurt,” he said. “You can’t make it up.”

With the loss, Las Vegas dropped to 2-6 and essentially pushed themselves further down the playoff mountain. The team now heads to Denver to face a 7-2 Broncos team on Thursday Night Football while still searching for answers.

At this point, the Raiders look like they’re playing for draft position rather than playoff positioning, and as the pressure mounts, Pete Carroll’s challenge is no longer about fixing plays. It’s about saving the season.