New FSM Essential Game Recap: Raiders vs Jets - Week 13

New FSM Essential Game Recap: Raiders vs. Jets – Week 13

www.FranchiseSportsMedia.com

Las Vegas Raiders (7-5)  |  New York Jets (0-12)

 

 

The Las Vegas Raiders once again traveled to the east coast, this time to East Rutherford, New Jersey to take on the winless New York Jets.

 

“It was all good just a week ago,” a line once said by Jay-Z on his song “A Week Ago” off Hard Knock Life Vol. 2 album. That’s the case for the Raiders, who needed to get on track to make a playoff push after two straight losses. They went from being a team no one wanted to face just a week ago to a team outside looking in if the NFL playoffs started today. They needed to have a season-changing performance without key contributors Jonathan Abram, Josh Jacobs, or Maurice Hurst.

The Jets were coming in playing for themselves. Not their head coach Adam Gase, who will most likely be fired at the end of the year, if not sooner. Not for Gregg Williams, their defensive coordinator who made waves taking shots at players and coaches this season. They were playing for their futures in Gotham City. They could be the spoilers of the Raiders season like they were last year when they shellacked the Silver and Black 34-3 in a Week 12 match-up.

Both teams needed this game for very different reasons. The Jets are trying to avoid a winless season while the Raiders have their eyes set on the postseason. It’s Clemson quarterback Trevor Lawrence or bust for the Jets should they keep the No. 1 pick in the 2021 NFL Draft. And for the Raiders, it’s trying to get to the NFL’s second season with their eyes set on the Vince Lombardi trophy.

 

Raiders head coach Jon Gruden coming into this weeks game knew he had a weapon that the Jets couldn’t stop in tight end Darren Waller.

 

The Jets had no one to stop the Raiders leading receiver, and Gruden was determined to feed his monster the rock. Waller delivered one of his career’s best performances on Sunday, catching 13 balls for 200 yards and two touchdowns. Every time Raiders quarterback Derek Carr need to make a play or had a big play, Waller was on the receiving end of it.

Not having Jacobs due to the ankle injury he suffered last week put the pressure on Carr to deliver after what had to be the worst game of his career last week. Carr bounced back nicely, throwing for three touchdowns and rushing for another one. He also threw for 381 yards and completing 28-of-47 passes.

The Raiders defense got off to a slow start and lost first-round pick Damon Arnette to a concussion on the game’s second play. This was the second consecutive week the rookie cornerback had to leave due to a concussion. Jets quarterback Sam Darnold started hot dicing up the secondary, but the Raiders defense got hotter as the game went on and forced three Darnold turnovers. Clelin Farrell had two sacks in his first game back from the COVID-19 reserve list. Trayvon Mullen had an interception and continued progression to becoming one of the game’s best young cornerbacks. Darnold had another solid game for the Jets, going 14-of-22 for 186 yards, throwing two touchdowns, and rushing for a touchdown.

But the Jets ability to run the ball consistently and the play of their defense in the fourth quarter coupled with the Raiders turning the ball over and penalties seemed to be too much to overcome for the Raiders. The Jets were seconds away from picking up their first win of the year while the Raiders would fall to 6-6, but more importantly, take a huge hit to their playoff chances. But Carr hooked up with Henry Ruggs III, who was having a tough game to that point with a fumble and a drop that caused the only Carr interception, for a 46-yard touchdown with 5 seconds left to give the Raiders the 31-28 victory over New York.

 

Thankfully for RaiderNation they get to welcome the Raiders back to Las Vegas next week and take on the Indianapolis Colts.

 

The Raiders now will come home to Allegiant Stadium and welcome old friend quarterback Phillip Rivers and the 8-4 Indianapolis Colts to Sin City. The Colts have one of the NFL’s best offensive lines, and Rivers has been rejuvenated since he signed there as a free agent. The Raiders need to be careful with the Colts, who start games slowly but play at a different level in the second half. For Las Vegas, the Colts are a playoff team, and this will be a good barometer to see if they ready for prime time to if they are pretenders.

But this week, RaiderNation will celebrate an improbable come from behind victory in the final seconds. As Alicia Keys sang on Jay-Z’s song “Empire State of Mind,“ “New York, concrete jungle where dreams are made of there’s nothin’ you can’t do, now you’re in New York.”

 

You can watch next week’s game against the Colts with kick-off scheduled for 1:00 PM PT on CBS.

 

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Joe Arrigo – Franchise Sports Media

Twitter: @JoeArrigo

 

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