NY Jets Game Preview (Week 7 Oakland)

3-3 Jets @ 2-4 Oakland Raiders
Sunday, October 25th 2009 ~ 4pm, CBS
by Joe Grinwis

After a 3-0 start to the season that had Jets fans hopes high, talking division championships and even more the Jets are now on a tailspin and have lost 3 in a row to drop to .500 on the season. With the 2-4 Raiders on the schedule it is thought by many this is a game the Jets will bounce back on and win by double digit points. Do people forget about the showing this Jets team put on the field just a few days ago against the previous 1-4 Buffalo Bills and their back-up Quarterback? I don’t.

The loss of Kris Jenkins for the remainder of the season is a huge blow to this team and the Jets will be plugging in a rotation of Sione Pouha, Mike DeVito, Howard Green and Ropati Pitoitua to try and replace him. Of course, there is nobody as big or as physical as Big Jenk to clog up the middle and take 2 or 3 men on so this will truly test the genius of Rex Ryan and his 34 Defensive schemes. Sure, when you have the pieces the defense excells, but what about when you lose the most important part of the D? Will it crumble or will Rex find a way to move foward?

Mark Sanchez. It does not matter if you are Joe Namath or Sanchez, if you throw 5 interceptions in a game it is unexcusable and you are going to hear it from the Jets faithful, and rightfully so. No performance like that should go unheard of. Now it is all about putting your best foot foward and moving on. The Jets plan on lessening Sanchez’s load in the coming weeks to get him back on track.

Key Match-ups

QB Mark Sanchez/WR Braylon Edwards vs CB Nnamdi Asomougha

This match-up becomes even bigger if Jerricho Cotchery cannot go for a second consecutive week, but even with Cotchery in the lineup this is a showdown of top players at their position. Asomougha, regarded by everyone around the NFL as the top tier shutdown Cornerback, will be facing the 6’3 Edwards, the first true #1 Wide Receiver the Jets have had since Keyshawn Johnson. Four of Sanchez’s five interceptions against Buffalo came when he had his eyes locked on Edwards. If Sanchez does not start looking off and moving his eyes before going to Edwards, Asomougha may pick him off 10 times.

Jets Defensive Line vs Oakland Offensive Line

Both unit’s are struggling this season and the Jets line lost their best player in NT Kris Jenkins for the season. Fourth year pro Sione Pouha will start with a rotation of other players and will be taking on an Oakland Offensive Line that, along with the rest of the Raider offense this season, has been abysmal. Rex Ryan has said maybe it is time to use less blitzing of 5, 6 or 7 people and start blitzing only with his 3 or 4 down lineman seeing as teams have started to stop Ryan’s exotic blitzes. Of course, the Jets line has struggled when Linebackers and Safeties have not blitzed, to create any pressure. This is the game they should be able to do that.

Prediction
This is will be a close game. Do not expect a blow out Jet fans. While everyone was predicting two and three touchdown wide victories last week, I had picked the Jets to win by 7. This week, I don’t see them even winning by that much. The Jets historically have struggled in Oakland, including last year, and in the last four years are 3-19 in 4pm games.

Jets – 17
Raiders – 13

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