Tag: Oakland Raiders

Gregg Williams working wonders with Jets’ makeshift defense

Gregg Williams has the best defense looking like one of the best in the league after holding the Raiders to three points in Week 12.

What defensive coordinator Gregg Williams has been able to do with this Jets defense recently is nothing short of spectacular. On a team riddled by injury, underperformance, and inexperience, Williams has created a run-stopping machine that’s stymied opponents the past three weeks. 

Yes, those opponents have included two rookie quarterbacks on inept offenses, but Williams is also working with a makeshift defense that includes several rookies and journeymen after losing two starting inside linebackers and two starting cornerbacks.

First, Williams lost Avery Williamson to an ACL tear. Then it was C.J. Mosley to a groin injury. Both were expected to solidify the middle of the defense. Next, promising rookie linebacker Blake Cashman hit injured reserve, followed by cornerback Trumaine Johnson. Various other players have missed time with injury, and before now the Jets are starting players no one had heard of before this season.

That defense, led by Jamal Adams and a bunch of backups, held the Raiders to only three points and 208 total yards on Sunday. In one word, the Jets’ 34-3 win over the Raiders was Williams’ masterpiece.

That performance was the culmination of weeks of momentum for Williams’ defense and the unit finally put together a complete game after giving up big, late scores the past two weeks. The 68 rushing yards the Jets allowed made for the fourth consecutive sub-100-yard game and eighth on the year. The Jets defense looked unbeatable against a Raiders team coming off three consecutive wins.

“We’ve been preparing well week in, week out. I just kind of think things are starting to go our way,” cornerback Brian Poole told SNY. “We’re a young defense going in the right direction.”

Poole himself is playing like one of the best cornerbacks in the league after the Jets signed him to a cheap one-year deal this offseason. His 15-yard pick-six sealed the blowout win, and he’s consistency graded as one of the best cornerbacks in the league. His ascension is just one of the many examples of how Williams is getting the most out of his players.

Players like rookie cornerbacks Bless Austin and Arthur Maulet have also played well above expectations over the past few games and they held Derek Carr to just 127 scoreless passing yards and a 52.6 passer rating in Week 12. Defensive linemen Foley Fatukasi and Kyle Phillips have been revelations after starting the season buried on the depth chart, and journeymen linebackers James Burgess, Neville Hewitt, Brandon Copeland and Tarrell Basham have put in solid performances.

None of these players were supposed to start except Poole. Yet, they’ve all played exceptionally well and helped turn the Jets into the best run-stopping team in the league. The Jets have allowed only 78.1 rushing yards per game after Week 12 – the fewest in the league – and less than three yards per rush attempt. Those are incredible numbers for a team that doesn’t have any discernable defensive stars except Adams, who Williams has weaponized into a terrifying pass rusher for the Jets.

The ability to turn role players into competent starters is great, but Williams’ ability to unlock another side of the Jets’ star safety is a testament to his skills as a coach. Adams now has a team-high 6.5 sacks and 12 quarterback hits and has evolved into a multi-dimensional safety that could command a record-setting contract this offseason. 

After this week’s performance, outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins was asked if the win validated the defense’s ability – a defense many left for dead as injuries and blowouts piled up.

“For us, not really,” Jordan Jenkins said. “For the public and some of the fans and some of the naysayers, I would agree with that. But we knew what we had.”

The Jets gave up an average of 27.7 points between Weeks 2 and 9. But during this three-game winning streak, they’ve allowed just 15.7. It took some time, but Williams finally has the Jets defense looking the way he intended when Adam Gase hired him to be the head coach of the defense.

5 interesting stats from Jets’ Week 12 win over Raiders

The Jets won their third consecutive game of the season, beating the Raiders 34-3 in dominating fashion.

The Jets played their most dominating football of the season in a 34-3 rout of the Oakland Raiders on Sunday.

After turning in two consecutive performances with 34 points scored, New York did so a third time against a playoff-hungry Oakland team. Adam Gase has the Jets playing their best football of the season and the offense is starting to look like what he imagined in the preseason.

On the other side of the football, Gregg Williams is doing some amazing things on defense, especially with the team so thin at linebacker and cornerback.

Let’s take a look at some interesting stats from Gang Green’s fourth win of the season.

The Lucky Number

(AP Photo/Adam Hunger)

Thirty-four appears to be the Jets’ lucky number lately. They’ve scored that many points three games in a row, and it was Brain Poole — the owner of No. 34 — who put the cherry on top of New York’s third consecutive win with his third-quarter pick-six.

This is the first time in the Super Bowl era that a team has scored 34 points in three straight games, according to ESPN Stats and Info. The last time the Jets scored 34 or more points in three straight games was in 2008 when Brett Favre was quarterbacking Gang Green.

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Raiders’ drive of the game in blowout loss against Jets

The Raiders had one last chance to get back in the game against the Jets but faltered on this week’s agonizing drive of the game.

The Raiders had one last chance to get back in the game against the Jets but faltered on this week’s agonizing drive of the game.

Having been dominated for more than one half of football, the Raiders were trailing the Jets 20-3. Oakland took the ball with plenty of time to mount a comeback — just under 13 minutes to play in the third quarter — thanks to a quick score by New York to open that period of play.

On 3rd and 7, after a run for no gain by running back Josh Jacobs and a short pass to tight end Foster Moreau, Carr scrambled beautifully for 11 yards and a first down. Jacobs broke loose for seven yards on the next play, and it appeared the Raiders’ rushing attack would get on track against a stout Jets run defense, which would open up coach Jon Gruden’s playbook.

On 2nd and 3, however, center Rodney Hudson committed a holding penalty on a 2-yard loss by Jacobs, and Oakland was behind the sticks. But Carr found wide receiver Hunter Renfrow who made two defenders miss on his way to an impressive 11-yard reception, setting up a 3rd-and-2 play.

Gruden called Jacobs’ number. He ran forward behind pulling guard, Richie Incognito, and fell with the football right at the line to gain. After a suspect spot of the football, it was 4th-and-1. Gruden didn’t hesitate, and ran yet again, this time with fullback Alec Ingold, the Raiders’ short-yardage specialist.

Ingold was stopped just short of the line, on a play that saw Jacobs motion out of the backfield, removing an element of surprise for the run defense. It was clear who would get the ball. Additionally, the rookie fullback was offset to the right, and ran, for what seemed like forever, to the interior left, when it appeared there was just enough room up the middle for the needed yardage.

One play later, after a lost challenge from Gruden, New York pulled off a double-reverse flea-flicker on its way to another touchdown and the rout was on. It was a dismal day for the Raiders, and this drive was their last hurrah. It didn’t go well, just like the entire day, and the squad might be wise to throw the game film in the dumpster and prepare for their upcoming game against the Chiefs right away.

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Jets felt ‘disrespected’ by Raiders fans booing them

Jets safety Jamal Adams took notice of Raiders fans ahead of Sunday’s 34-3 win.

Jets safety Jamal Adams took notice of Raiders fans ahead of Sunday’s 34-3 win.

Adams told the media after the game that the Jets felt “disrespected” by Raiders fans booing them in their own building. They decided to go into the locker room to talk about it and it clearly lit a fire under them.

“They came in a little too happy, they thought this was just gonna be an easy game,” Adams told reporters.

You can understand where Raider fans were coming from thinking this game was going to be easy for them. The Raiders came into the game riding a three-game winning streak, while the Jets had a couple of soft wins over two of the NFL’s worst teams.

But you have to give the Jets credit for responding and putting a stomping on the Raiders. The Jets outplayed them in all three phases of the game and proved that those two wins against the Giants and Redskins weren’t a fluke. The Raiders have their flaws, but at the end of the day they are a team that is in the playoff hunt, so this one meant a little more.

If you’re the Jets now, you have keep this wave going. You can’t follow up a solid win over the Raiders with a bad loss to the Bengals next week. It would be typical Jets to play down to the competition and lose. The Jets can’t look over the Bengals like the Raiders did the Jets.

Sam Darnold is Jets Wire’s Player of the Game vs. Raiders

Another week and another strong performance from Sam Darnold as the Jets took care of business against the Raiders with a 34-3 win.

Another week, another strong performance from Sam Darnold.

The quarterback and the Jets took care of business against the Raiders Sunday with a 34-3 win. Darnold torched the Oakland defense all game long, going 20-29 for 315 yards and three total touchdowns (one rushing). He had a quarterback rating of 127.8.

For his performance, Darnold is Jets Wire’s Player of the game for the second consecutive week.

Darnold’s play over the last few weeks has really picked up. He’s done a nice job making all the necessary throws and still making plays outside the pocket. Most importantly, Darnold is not turning the football over. Instead of forcing the ball into areas where Darnold has nowhere to throw, he’s actually throwing the ball away. In his last three games, Darnold has thrown for 838 yards, seven touchdowns and one interception.

But when talking about Darnold’s play of late, you can’t forget to mention the job Adam Gase has done. Ever since Darnold went to Gase a few weeks ago and talked about the play calling, everything has changed. Gase has played to Darnold’s strengths and the quarterback is making the plays. This offense could barely put up any points earlies this season; Gang Green has now put up over 30 points in its last three games.

It’s extraordinary what this quarterback can do when he has a coach that is calling plays that makes him feel most comfortable. The jury was still out on Darnold if he was as good as everyone thought he was. Those critics have gone silent over the past few weeks.

Darnold’s confidence is clearly back and the entire offense is rolling because of it. He’ll have a couple of more favorable matchups over the next two weeks against the Bengals and Dolphins, which should allow him to keep this hot streak going.

Sam Darnold, Braxton Berrios among Jets’ Studs & Duds in win over Raiders

Following Sunday’s win over the Oakland Raiders, the Jets have now improved to 4-7 on the season and have won three consecutive games.

The Jets won their third consecutive game Sunday after a 1-7 start, improving to 4-7 on the season.

The team has now scored exactly 34 points three straight games in a row. That can be attributed to Adam Gase and Sam Darnold being on the same page, while the makeshift offensive line has done an excellent job of blocking.

New York played nearly a perfect game minus some mental mistakes. The Jets gained 401 yards of total offense, their second straight week of 400 yards or more.

For the Jets, it was another step in the right direction. Here are the best and worst players from the Week 12 victory.

Stud: QB Sam Darnold

(AP Photo/Seth Wenig)

This Sam Darnold kid sure can play.

After taking control of the offense and being more vocal with Adam Gase and Dowell Loggains about what works and what doesn’t, Darnold has never looked back.

He flourished both on the ground and in the air Sunday. Darnold went 20-29, throwing for 315 yards and scoring three total touchdowns. He connected with Robby Anderson and Ryan Griffin for one-yard scores while running in one of his own.

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Instant Analysis: Jets beat up Raiders for third win in a row

The Raiders were no match for Gang Green on Sunday.

Wins against Big Blue and Washington were nothing special. Beating a flawed but competitive Oakland team, though? Well, that’s a bit more impressive.

The Jets manhandled the playoff-hopeful Raiders on Sunday, 34-3, at MetLife Stadium. New York, once 1-7, cruised to its third straight win.

Odds are this winning streak is too little, too late for Gang Green, but the organization’s decision-makers and fans should be encouraged by the way the team is clicking. Sam Darnold has looked every bit the part of franchise quarterback lately after a disastrous midseason slump, young players are seizing opportunities created by injuries and the coaching staff — the one everyone wanted to fire a few weeks ago — has made massive strides.

Now, New York will prepare for the lowly Bengals and try to make it four in a row next week.

Game Balls:

  • RB Le’Veon Bell: The Jets running back lived up to his dual-threat reputation, totaling 108 yards on 12 carries and five receptions. The Jets once again used other rushers to spell him in the backfield. They also lined Bell up as a receiver a few times, creating confusion for Oakland’s defense.
  • QB Sam Darnold: All is well with Sam Darnold again. The Jets gunslinger made a handful of highlight-reel plays while going 20-29 with 315 yards and two touchdowns through the air, as well as a score on the ground. He’s 58-89 with 838 yards, seven passing touchdowns, two rushing touchdowns, and one interception over his last three games.

Quick Thoughts:

  • Despite a bevy of injuries leading up to and during the game, the Jets offensive line delivered another strong performance against Oakland. Darnold was only sacked once and had plenty of time to throw despite some scampering, while Bell found success on the ground for the second week in a row. The makeshift line’s biggest mistake was a holding penalty by Alex Lewis, which negated a big gain from Ty Montgomery.
  • The Jets should line Bell up as a wide receiver more often. Good things tend to happen when he’s thrown the ball, as seen on New York’s first play of the game.

  • The Jets’ first touchdown of the game, Darnold’s second rushing score of the season, was set up nicely by a pretty awful roughing the passer call. Nothing egregious here, but the Jets were given a gift by the refs nonetheless.
  • Bless Austin can ball. The bar was low, be he’s been the Jets‘ best outside corner this season. He hits hard whenever he comes in for a tackle; he had five and a pass breakup on Sunday. Mike Maccagnan may have actually gotten a late-round pick right.
  • One day after signing an extension, Ryan Griffin caught another touchdown pass from Darnold. He now has five on the season. Not bad for a guy who was supposed to be a fill-in for Chris Herndon. With Griffin and Herndon, as well as Trevon Wesco, the Jets look to have their tight end depth chart set for next year.
  • Week 12 was another impressive one for the Jets defense. The Raiders are not worldbeaters, but they’re better than Washington, and Gang Green held it’s own against improved competition despite a decimated lineup. The Jets even forced Derek Carr to the bench. Give props to Gregg Williams for that. The defensive coordinator has done an excellent job developing previous no-names like Austin, Arthur Maulet, Tarrell Basham, Kyle Phillips and more. It would be understandable if this injured Jets defense couldn’t stop a nosebleed, but the unit is holding its own under Williams.
  • Also deserving of credit is Adam Gase. The Jets head coach has drawn plenty of criticism in his first year on the job, but Gase’s offense has soared in recent weeks. A lot of that has to do with his improved game-planning and play-calling, which was on full display in Week 12.
  • Record Watch: Jamal Adams added a half-sack on Sunday. He now has 6.5 this season. The most ever by a defensive back in a single season is eight.

Raiders upset by Jets, blown-out 34-3 in ugly loss

Raiders upset by Jets, blown-out 34-3

Week 12 did not go as planned for the Oakland Raiders as they were upset by the New York Jets. Not only did they lose, they were blown out by an inferior team despite Oakland having playoff aspirations. The game got so out of hand that the team benched Derek Carr in favor of Mike Glennon late in the third quarter. The Raiders now sit at 6-5, still in playoff contention in the AFC.

Here are your Week 12 offensive leaders for the Oakland Raiders:

Leading Passer: QB Derek Carr – 15/27 for 127 yards, 1 INT

Loading Rusher: RB Josh Jacobs – 10 carries for 34 yards

Leading Receiver: RB Jalen Richard – 6 receptions for 47 yards

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Raiders, Jets inactives: DB Lamarcus Joyner inactive

Raiders, Jets inactives: DB Lamarcus Joyner inactive

Week 12 is upon us. The Raiders are in New York which means a 10 a.m. Pacific start time. Making the trip was nickel cornerback Lamarcus Joyner who was questionable with a hamstring injury. It was always a bit of a stretch that he would play and he will sit for his second straight game.

Raiders

QB Deshone Kizer
T David Sharpe
C Erik Magnuson
DB Lamarcus Joyner
WR Keelan Doss
DT Terrell McClain
LB Preston Brown

Notes: Replacing Joyner at the nickel cornerback spot is Nevin Lawson.

Jets

DL Jordan Willis
DB Matthias Farley
LB Paul Worrilow
OL Leo Koloamatangi
LB C.J. Mosley
CB Darryl Roberts
CB Nate Hairston

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Watch: CBS tells story of how former Raiders co-owner invented fantasy football

Watch: CBS tells story of how former Raiders co-owner invented fantasy football

You may or may not know this, but fantasy football was invented in Oakland. Well, technically it was invented in New York, but by a group from Oakland. It was the brainchild of former Raiders co-owner Bill ‘Wink’ Winkenbach on a trip to play the then New York Titans, now the New York Jets.

With the Raiders in New York to play the jets today, CBS put together a short video re-enacting how it all went down.

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