Oakland Raiders at New York Jets: Time, TV schedule, odds, how to watch

This week, the Oakland Raiders will go on the road to face the New York Jets in a game Oakland must win in order to stay in the AFC Wild Card contention. To get you prepared for the game, here is everything you need to know about this Week 12 contest:

What: Oakland Raiders (6-4) at New York Jets (3-7)
When: Sunday, November 24 at 1:00 p.m. ET
Where: MetLife Stadium, East Rutherford, New Jersey
Radio: 95.7 The Game
Live Stream: fuboTV (try it free)
Odds: Raiders (-2.5)
Referee: Clete Blakeman
TV: CBS

Raiders will battle top-ranked run defense in Week 12 after facing worst defense versus Bengals

Raiders will face top-ranked run defense in Week 12 after batting worst defense versus Bengals

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The run game is a big part of what the Raiders do. Josh Jacobs more times than not gets the ball on first down. That’s who they are. They establish the run, and everything else works off of it.

That’s a pretty old school philosophy, and Jon Gruden is an old school coach. Up to this point, that strategy has paid off, especially of late with Josh Jacobs running for over 100 yards four of the past six games. The Raiders are 3-1 in those games.

One of those wins came last week against the Bengals who field the league’s worst run defense allowing 167 yards per game.

This week the Raiders go from one end of the spectrum to the other as they will head to the Meadowlands to face the New York Jets who boast the league’s top run defense allowing just 79.1 yards per game.

Much of the credit for the Jets’ strong run defense goes to their defensive coordinator, Gregg Williams.

“Yeah, I think Gregg’s done a good job of really creating that team environment, that group mentality,” said Jets head coach Adam Gase. “Those guys, they do a good job of working together. You know it’s not all on one guy. So, I mean we’re doing a good job right now of just playing good solid team football, and you know it started, we always talk about it starts with the run game. If we can’t stop the run, it’s always going to be a long day when you keep a team two-dimensional.”

Leading the way on the field for the Jets is Pro Bowl safety Jamal Adams with 28 combined run stops (24 solo). Along the defensive line, it’s Kyle Phillips with 24 combined run stops (16 solo), and among the linebackers is Neville Hewitt, also with 24 combined run stops (12 solo). So, they share the load, with each phase contributing.

“It’s a very aggressive defense,” said Jon Gruden. “They have good players, we’ll start there. They all can run, they all can hit, and they all can tackle. They have a very aggressive scheme. They’re not afraid to load the box with bear defense. That’s Gregg Williams’ style. They cheat their corners in run support, and they’ll tackle you. You’ve got to give Jamal Adams his props, he is really something.”

The Raiders have faced a tough run defense before and beat it. Jacobs ran for 123 yards against the Bears’ stout run defense in London in week 5 and got a big win out of it. So, they’ve done it before. They’ll be tested once again to see if they can either outdo a top run defense or win anyway without it.

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Raiders-Jets Wednesday injury report: Lamarcus Joyner ‘got in some work’ in walk-thru, still listed as DNP

When practice began Wednesday, Lamarcus Joyner was on the field with his teammates. The nickel corner had missed all last week and Sunday’s game against the Bengals with a hamstring injury he suffered late in the win over the Chargers two weeks ago.

The severity of the injury is not known, but it was a non-contact injury, which can often be the scariest kind. So, it seemed a promising sight that he was on the field.

Wednesday was just a walk-thru, so not a lot can be taken from Joyner’s presence.

“He got in some work,” Gruden said of Joyner. “I don’t know what he’ll be listed as, probably limited. We got all these words we gotta use. We weren’t doing much today, as you can see in terms of full speed. But we got a lot of reps to get familiarized with who we’re playing. I’m hopeful he’ll be ready to play, but we’ll see how it goes when we lather him up tomorrow.”

Well, he ended up being listed as not practicing. That isn’t a false listing because the team wasn’t having a full practice. It’s more of an estimation that says had the Raiders been practicing full, he would not have been out there.

As for the Jets, they appear to have had a full practice and at least their Wednesday injury report is quite lengthy. As always, it will matter more whether all these same players are missing or limited on Thursday as often times Wednesday is a rest day.

#Raiders #Jets Wednesday injury report: Lamarcus Joyner listed as DNP as team does only walk-thru today. pic.twitter.com/joDp38mSZg

— Levi Damien (@LeviDamien) November 20, 2019

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Raiders narrowly favored over Jets in New York

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Two weeks ago, the Raiders were a 4-4 team, and the Jets were sitting at 1-7. Since then, both sides have not lost. The Raiders have beaten the Chargers and Bengals to win their third straight, and the Jets have beaten their New York roomie Giants and Washington.

You would figure a 6-4 team would be rather heavily favored over a 3-7 team, but that isn’t the case this week with the Raiders and Jets. The Raiders are favored, but by just 2.5 points at BetMGM.

There are probably a couple reasons for this narrow line favoring the Raiders. First off, the Raiders may have won three straight, but all were one-score games. Even their win over the winless Bengals was by just seven points. The Raiders were a 10.5-point favorite, so they didn’t cover that spread.

The Jets, on the other hand, have put up 34 points each of the past two weeks and doubled up Washington last week. The Jets’ other win this season was over the Cowboys, who, as it happens, also now sit at 6-4 on the season.

The other reason is simply that the game is in New York. The Raiders are 5-1 at home (if you count the game in London) but are 1-3 on the road this season. Those kinds of things are factored into how the lines are calculated.

Gannett may earn revenue from audience referrals to betting services. Newsrooms are independent of this relationship and there is no influence on news coverage.

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Raiders playoff odds increase to 56 percent with win versus Jets

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Despite the three-game winning streak, the Oakland Raiders are currently on the outside looking in when it comes to the playoff picture. They are the No. 7 seed in AFC, just behind the Buffalo Bills (7-3) and the Houston Texans (6-4).

However, things can change very quickly in the AFC, and with the Raiders facing the 3-7 Jets on Sunday, a win could quickly put them in the driver’s seat in the wild card race.

According to the New York Times playoff simulator, the Raiders currently have a 45 percent chance of making the playoffs. But with a win on Sunday, those odds increase to 56 percent, regardless of any other outcome over the weekend. If teams such as the Colts or Steelers lose, those odds can move all the way up into the 60s.

However, a loss on Sunday would be devastating to the team’s playoff chances. Losing to the Jets would drop their playoff odds down to just 29 percent as Oakland would essentially need to win four of their final five games to make the postseason.

While Sunday’s game is just one of 16 for the Raiders, it feels much more important than that. Oakland needs the win to stay on pace with teams like the Colts, Steelers, and Bills, especially with a Week 13 matchup with the Chiefs looming.

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Could penalties be the reason the Raiders don’t make the playoffs?

Could penalties be the reason the Raiders don’t make the playoffs in 2019?

After winning a third-straight game, the Oakland Raiders are on track to potentially steal a wild card spot in the second year of this new rebuild. At 6-4, Oakland’s chances of making the playoffs sit at 45 percent, according to the New York Times.

If Oakland wants to make the playoffs, they are likely going to need to win four of their final six games to do so. While the schedule is pretty soft for the Raiders, there are reasons to be concerned about this team going forward. One potential downfall could be the team’s high penalty rate this season.

According to NFL Penalties.com, the Raiders have been flagged 88 times this season, just behind the Cardinals at 94, who have played one more game this season. In a recent piece by Bleacher Report, penalties, especially defensive penalties, were named the biggest kryptonite for the Raiders going forward:

The Raiders have been flagged a league-high 46 times on defense. That includes a ridiculous nine pass interference calls. No other defense has committed 40 penalties.

Oakland has lost a lot of talent on defense by way of injuries, so they can ill afford to continue to give away free yardage each week. If the Raiders are serious about making the playoffs this season, penalties are something they have to clean up going into the final six games of the season.

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Raiders WR Hunter Renfrow ranked as PFF’s 8th-best rookie in 2019

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Heading into the 2019 NFL draft, it was no secret that Oakland was searching for a new slot receiver. Seth Roberts was gone, and they had nobody on the roster to fill that role. Luckily, Jon Gruden and his coaching staff had the opportunity to coach at the Senior Bowl, where they got to see the best slot receiver in all of the nation up close; Clemson’s Hunter Renfrow.

Despite a somewhat slow start, Renfrow has caught fire over the last month, catching 19 passes for 250 yards and two touchdowns in his previous four games. While Renfrow will likely never be a true No. 1 receiver, he’s already becoming one of Derek Carr’s favorite targets.

In a recent piece by Pro Football Focus, the site named the top-10 graded rookies so far from the 2019 class. Not surprisingly, Josh Jacobs continues to sit in the No. 1 spot. But it’s Renfrow who has suddenly made an appearance inside of the top-10 at No. 8. Take a look at what Pro Football Focus has to say about the rookie receiver:

The longtime Clemson Tiger and now Oakland Raider Hunter Renfrow has been heating up over the last few weeks, ranking second in PFF grade for a wide receiver since Week 9. Playing in Gruden’s west coast offense that lives and dies by horizontal passing, Renfrow is a critical component and has really helped the offense as a whole. On slant and crossing routes specifically, Renfrow is tied for seventh in PFF receiving grade.

If Oakland can find a true No. 1 receiver this offseason, that should open up things in the middle even more for Renfrow going forward. He clearly knows his role and is a perfect fit in Gruden’s West Coast offense. Look for the rookie to continue to be targeted frequently in the team’s final six games.

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Raiders DE Maxx Crosby named AFC Defensive Player of the Week

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The awards and notoriety just keep coming for Raiders’ defensive end Maxx Crosby. After his dominant performance on Sunday against the Bengals, the 2019 fourth-round pick from Eastern Michigan was named the AFC Defensive Player of the Week for his game in Week 11.

Crosby finished the contest with five tackles, four sacks and three tackles for a loss. He recorded three sacks in the fourth quarter as the Bengals were trying to find a way to tie the ballgame. However, Crosby was in the backfield all day long.

Crosby should have a chance to have another big game this week as the Raiders will travel to New York to take on the Jets. With the Jets’ subpar offensive line, look for Crosby to continue his hot streak into Week 12.

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Raiders Week 11 Ballers & Busters vs Bengals

Sunday, the Raiders won their third straight to reach a 6-4 record on the season. None of them were convincing wins, not even this one against the 0-9 Bengals. But what matters is who came out with the W.

Pulling out one-score wins like this requires clutch performances. The Raiders got a few of those Sunday.

Top Baller: DE Maxx Crosby

Four. Sacks. Not much else needs to be said about that. It was the most sacks in a game by a Raider since Khalil Mack had five sacks in a game back in 2015.

Crosby’s first sack was a strip-sack that Maurice Hurst recovered for the Raiders. A fumble on the ensuing Raiders’ possession would lead to a touchdown drive by the Bengals to go up 7-0. The next Bengals possession ended with a three-and-out, Crosby pressured QB Ryan Finley to force an incompletion.

A late first-half drive, the Bengals were approaching scoring range, and Crosby was held. They would miss a 53-yard field goal attempt to go into the half with a 14-7 Raiders lead.

The Raiders were holding onto a 14-10 lead to begin the 4th quarter, and on the first play, Crosby drove right through left tackle John Jerry to sack Finley for a second time.

On the ensuing drive, the Raiders would extend the lead to 17-10. Plays of 17 and 16 yards would put the Bengals at the Oakland 44-yard-line. And here came Crosby again to put them back in their own territory with a 9-yard sack. Two plays later, he pressured Finley resulting in a stop for no gain. The drive ended two plays later with a turnover on downs.

With 1:54 remaining, the Bengals needed to drive 80 yards for a touchdown. On the first play, Crosby shot into the backfield to get his fourth sack. On 2nd and 19, Finley threw deep and was picked off to end the game.

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The Raiders’ defense is finally coming into its own after 10 games

The Raiders defense has been vital during three game-winning streak. Raiders wire takes a look at how the defense is coming into its own

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When the Oakland Raiders lost by a large margin to the Green Bay Packers Week 7, the defense was at it’s the lowest point of the season. In that game alone, they allowed Aaron Rodgers to throw five touchdowns and finish the game with a passing EPA of 25.3, according to Sports Info Solutions.

The defense couldn’t generate a pass rush and was picked apart in the secondary throughout the matchup leading to an embarrassing performance.

After the game, the coaching staff realized there was a need for change to the defensive unit. The front office went to work and started with trading former first-round pick Gareon Conley to the Houston Texans, earning a third-round selection in the process.

This allowed the Raiders to see what they have in the second-round pick from 2019, Trayvon Mullen. The Raiders adjusted their defensive line as well, moving Clelin Ferrell primarily to the defensive end position after having the former Clemson star work inside on passing downs.

These adjustments took a while to click with the Raiders defense struggling the next two weeks against the Texans and the Detroit Lions. However, against the Chargers, fans saw the defense add value to the 2019 Raiders, and this continued into their matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals.

Against the Los Angeles Chargers and the Bengals, the Raiders have allowed a measly 4.5 yards per play. Before this two-game stretch, the Raiders were allowing 6.3 yards per play, which was 30^th in the NFL. Now, they have moved up to 25^th,finally getting below the 6 yards per play mark at 5.9.

Much of this improvement is established by the growth of the pass rush and better play in the secondary. The Raiders have 12 sacks in the past three weeks, with five each during the two previous outings. For perspective, The Raiders finished with just 13 sacks in 2018.

The rise of young rookies like Maxx Crosby has added a much-needed boost to a dormant pass rush that has plagued the Raiders since they lost Khalil Mack. Dion Jordan was a welcome addition as well, Crosby spoke about his presence rushing from the interior after the game. “Having Dion Jordan next to me with his speed coming inside was super helpful,” Crosby said.

The secondary has created 4 takeaways over the past two games as well and a passer rating of 48.25. While one game was against rookie quarterback Ryan Finley, the other was against a supposedly hot quarterback Phillip Rivers. Erik Harris has stepped up his play tremendously, and rookie cornerback

Mullen is starting to come into his own as a player. Mullen was the highest-graded cornerback last week at 91.0, according to Pro Football Focus with Daryle Worley and Nevin Lawson not too far behind him after an excellent performance.

All of this is critical for the Raiders going forward as they make a playoff push for either the wildcard or the division championship. The last two games were not the best from an offense that carried this team to a 4-4 record winning games where they were the clear underdogs. The defense helping the Raiders secure games might help them secure a playoff spot as well.

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