The NFL's best coaches focus on the process instead of results when turning around a program. Although the Las Vegas Raiders dropped a 30-29 heartbreaker to the Jacksonville Jaguars, the team's performance in the loss suggests Pete Carroll's squad is heading in the right direction.

After breaking down the All-22 coaches' footage, the Raiders are close to reversing their fortunes and stacking wins down the stretch. Here's why:

Feed the Pigs

It takes about eight games for a coaching staff to identify the team's top playmakers and determine which schemes and plays maximize their potential, while minimizing the unit's deficiencies. After spending the bye week conducting an extensive self-scout, the Raiders offense got back on track by focusing extensively on getting the ball to Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers on a combination of complementary runs and play-action passes that featured the duo prominently in the action.

By "feeding the pigs" early and often, the Raiders put the ball in the hands of their best players and dared the Jaguars to stop them. After combining for 222 total yards and four scores, Jeanty and Bowers proved to be an unstoppable force, leading to one of the most productive performances from an underachieving offense.

Moreover, the simplistic approach helped the Raiders jump-start an offense that needed a jolt after scoring 20 points or fewer in five of their first seven contests. With Kelly committed to using Jeanty and Bowers as a part of a star-centric game plan that repeatedly put the ball in the hands of the Raiders' top playmakers, the Silver and Black finally looked like a potent scoring machine under the veteran play caller.

Geno Smith is a stud in a play-action-heavy passing game

The No. 7 who showed up against the Jaguars was exactly what Raider Nation expected when the team acquired Smith to be the team's QB1 for 2025 and beyond. The veteran pounded the strike zone with fastballs to Bowers, Jeanty and a collection of unheralded pass catchers. Although Kelly helped the two-time Pro Bowler find his rhythm as a passer by featuring several bootleg and naked pass combinations, Smith deserves credit for taking the layup when a risky throw could have produced an explosive play or turnover.

By scaling back on the high-risk throws and focusing on stringing together completions, Smith was able to rebuild his confidence while keeping the offense on schedule. With the Raiders throwing on unpredictable downs, the veteran was able to take advantage of a defense that was focused on slowing down Jeanty and a potent running game.

Moreover, the illusion of runs followed by bootlegs tested the eye discipline of the Jaguars' second-level defenders (linebackers and defensive backs), while creating easy reads for the veteran. The effectiveness of the flat-drag/crossing route combination helped Smith efficiently pick apart the defense with low-risk throws.

For a quarterback who entered the Week 9 as the co-leader in interceptions, the simplistic game plan unlocked the Pro Bowler that Pete Carroll expected to show up in Las Vegas.

The defense's fanatical effort will eventually produce positive results

There is no questioning the defense's effort and hustle against the Jaguars. The defense played hard from snap to whistle, exhibiting the competitiveness and relentlessness that Carroll demands from his guys. From running to the ball with reckless abandon to punching at the ball at every turn to gang tackling ball carriers in the hole, the Raiders played with the passion and purpose of a playoff team.

While the effort did not produce a win on Sunday, it represents a step in the right direction for a unit that has not consistently played to the standard. If Maxx Crosby and Co. can continue to bring the energy and effort week after week, with better execution, the defense's production and performance will improve down the stretch.

Though Carroll does not believe in or celebrate moral victories as a Super Bowl champion with a Hall of Fame-caliber resume, the progress of a defense committed to the process of winning games will eventually transform some of these close losses into one-score wins before the season's end.