It was a tough afternoon for the New York Jets out west, as they were greeted rudely in the Black Hole by the Oakland Raiders. The Raiders jumped out early and just continued to increase their lead, resulting in a 34-20 victory.
The usually dominant Jets defense was far from it Sunday afternoon against the Raiders, who got whatever they wanted offensively. They were able to pile up an impressive 451 total offensive yards, 333 through the air and 118 on the ground; entering the game, the Jets were allowing only 283.2 yards per game, 211.7 through the air and 71.5 on the ground.
The vaunted Jets secondary was picked apart by second year quarterback Derek Carr, who had one of the best games in his career. The 333 passing yards are the second highest of his career, while the four touchdowns tied a career high. The Jets were embarrassed on a 56-yard touchdown by Taiwan Jones, who caught the ball for what looked like a short gain but turned it into a touchdown.
The Jets also had no answer for Michael Crabtree, who hurt them all afternoon. He led the Raiders with seven receptions for 102 yards and one touchdown. Andre Holmes also made the most of his receptions, as both his catches went for touchdowns and 54 yards. The Jets were able to hold rookie phenom Amari Cooper relatively in check, as he caught only four passes for 46 yards, but couldn’t contain his teammates.
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On the ground, the Jets were hurt by Latavius Murray. Murray has been strong in his first season as the feature back in Oakland. He piled up 116 yards on 20 carries against the Jets, with a long of 26. He also added one reception for six yards.
The Jets were unable to slow down the Raiders offense most of the afternoon, while their own was stuck in neutral for a big part of it. It was another game of tough sledding running the ball for the Jets, which resulted in the offense stalling. Chris Ivory didn’t look good for the second consecutive week, gaining only 17 yards on 15 carries. Geno Smith was the Jets’ leading rusher, as he picked up 34 yards on two attempts.
Why was Smith in the game you ask? Well, Ryan Fitzpatrick injured his left-hand, his non-throwing hand, on the first drive of the game while scrambling. The helmet of the player tackling him landed square on the left hand, and was was sidelined the remainder of the game. The only time he came back was when Smith was knocked out on the final drive for a couple of plays, but Fitzpatrick did not look comfortable.
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In relief Smith played a pretty solid game. The beginning was shaky for Smith, who threw an interception on his second full drive, but did his job after that. He finished the game 27-of-42 for 265 yards and two touchdowns to go with the one interception.
Brandon Marshall led the way with nine catches for 108 yards. Eric Decker and Jeremy Kerley both made six receptions as well, as Decker was the recipient of one of the two touchdown passes; Kellen Davis made his first catch of the season for the other.
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The Jets have some real problems now with Fitzpatrick injured, in addition to what has become an ailing run game. Keep in mind Smith was also rattled at the end of the game, hurting his chest and shoulder. The Jets could have a starter next week that is not currently on the roster.
Riding a two-game losing streak and now at 4-3, the Jets are heading in the wrong direction. They will look to get things back on track when they host the Jacksonville Jaguars.