Jets Get Mauled By The Raiders 34-24

There is no way to sugarcoat the Jets performance on Sunday.  The Oakland Raiders manhandled the New York Jets en route to a 34-24 victory at the Oakland Coliseum.  Gang Green was beaten by the Raiders in every aspect of the game, from the battles in the trenches, to the coaching on the sidelines.

Offense

Offensive line struggles- The Jets offensive line playing without All-Pro center Nick Mangold struggled on Sunday.  The line failed to consistently win the battles in the trenches which resulted in constant pressure on Mark Sanchez and a stagnant running game.  Wayne Hunter once again missed some crucial blocks and there were communication issues that resulted in unnecessary hits on Sanchez.  A very poor performance (4 sacks, 6 qb hits) by a unit that is considered to be one of the strengths of the team.

Suspect playcalling- Offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer started out with a solid game plan in the first half of the game but for whatever reason things went south in the second half.  The Jets failed to take advantage of a Raiders secondary that was missing two starting defensive backs.  The playcalling became very predictable which gave the Raiders defense the ability to get more aggressive in terms of a pass rush.  At some point Schottenheimer needs to start out Sanchez in the “two minute” offense which the young quarterback thrives in.

Sanchez rattled? Even though quarterback Mark Sanchez put up 369 passing yards the young signal caller did not have one of his better games.  Sanchez threw a terrible interception in the endzone and also missed several throws that could have resulted in first downs.  In addition in the second half Mark appeared to be rattled after facing a physical pass rush.  Sanchez must do a better job of playing within the system while improving his accuracy and utilizing all of his weapons.  Far too often Sanchez is checking down the ball to the running backs which results in minimal gains.

Tomlinson shines- The one offensive  bright spot for the Jets was running back LaDainian Tomlinson who had 5 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown.  LT provided the Jets with an early spark and made several big plays to keep drives alive.

Defense

Run defense horrendous- The Jets defense, which is considered by many to be one of the best in the NFL, gave up 234 rushing yards.  There were missed tackles, blown assignments, as well as communication issues that resulted in Darren McFadden tallying 171 rushing yards and 2 touchdowns.  It was a stunning performance by the Jets defense as they were manhandled by the Raiders offense.

Terrible day for Cromartie- Antonio Cromartie had arguably one of his worst days as a Jet as he was flagged 4 times and a had a huge fumble on a kickoff return.  It almost got to the point where the Jets should have considered pulling Antonio as he started to press to make up for his mistakes.   Note: Cromartie left the game late with a rib injury and was replaced by Donald Strickland.

Crazy statistic: The Raiders did not convert a third down the entire game 0/8.

Overall

This was just a terrible performance by the New York Jets.  The Jets were outcoached and outplayed by a team that they had on the ropes early in the game.  Rex Ryan’s defense was outmuscled and the offense lost their ground and pound identity early on in the game.  It will be interesting to see how the Jets bounce back from this performance as they play a very physical Raven team next Sunday night.

Tyson Rauch

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