New York Jets Wary of Las Vegas Raiders

The New York Jets have hopefully learned from their debacle last weekend against the Miami Dolphins, which resulted in a 28-25 loss: there are no easy games in the NFL.

This week, the Jets face the Las Vegas Raiders in a home game at MetLife Stadium in East Rutherford, N.J. The Jets are slight underdogs on the early line, no doubt a reflection of their poor showing against Miami. It is a game against two teams that are relatively evenly matched, and many are mentally penciling in a “W” on the Jets ledger.

But the same was said about the winless Miami Dolphins, until the final score registered a shocking Jets defeat.

The Raiders come into the game having lost four straight. They’ve beaten the teams they should beat, and lost to the more powerful teams on their schedule.

Game Results (Weeks 1–7)

• Week 1: Won 27–13 vs. Miami Dolphins
• Week 2: Won 26–14 at Los Angeles Chargers
• Week 3: Won 35–27 at New Orleans Saints
• Week 4: Lost 30–27 vs. Kansas City Chiefs
• Week 5: Lost 45–17 at New England Patriots
• Week 6: Lost 33–30 vs. Buffalo Bills
• Week 7: Lost 35–21 vs. Los Angeles Rams

“When it comes to this game, we have a team with a lot of talent,” head coach Aaron Glenn said of the Raiders on Wednesday. “It’s clear when you see it on the field, offense, defense and special teams, so we have our work cut out for us.”

The Raiders rank 29th in total defense, allowing opponents nearly 373.7 yards per game on average. 

On offense, the Raiders run game has been struggling during their losing streak. Their last 100-yard game was Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints, and the Rams held them to 49 rushing yards. 

That would seem ideal for the Jets, except for one thing. Both of their starting running backs are nursing injuries. Breece Hall may be back from a quad injury for this game, but Braelon Allen has been limited in practice with an ankle injury. 

Allen has started the past four games for Hall, and his 357 yards in that stretch are the second-most in the league. Allen also has 56 receiving yards in the past two games.

“He’s not just a guy that can just run in between the tackles cause he’s 250 pounds,” Glenn said. “He’s a guy that has good hands… It’s something we knew he could do and he’s just flourishing at.”

If Allen and Hall play, they open things up for the wide receivers and tight ends, giving the Jets multiple options. Wide receiver Omar Cooper Jr. has particularly flourished since his return from injured reserve. 

He is the first player in more than 40 seasons to record multiple games of 100-plus receiving yards and a receiving TD in their first three career games. Of course, that may come at the expense of wide receiver Garrett Wilson, considered the best receiver on the Jets. His production resulted in just two catches for 26 yards in the Miami Dolphins loss, something he was visibly frustrated about on the sidelines. 

The game marks Geno Smith’s first meeting with a Raiders team he guided last year. His results are a lot better with the Jets – he ranks third in completion percentage (70.0%) and is one of three quarterbacks this season with three completions over 50 yards. 

The Jets will have to deal with Raiders tight end Brock Bowers, a frequent target. Bowers is second on the Raiders in receiving yards with 455, 19 shy of WR Tre Tucker who has played in all 7 games. In the past two weeks, Tucker had 10 receptions for 200 receiving yards and 3 TDs.

“Bowers is a top-of-the-line receiver/tight end that we have to be careful of, and Tucker is a guy that can take the top off,” Glenn said.