RAIDERS 34JETS 24
There were no miracle blocked punts this time around.
The New York Jets put up a heck of a stinker in Oakland Sunday as they dropped a 34-24 decision to the youthful Raiders; the Jets got manhandled in every facet of the game.
Who cares that the Jets offense racked up some numbers toward the end of the game; it didn't make up for the stinkfest that the Jets displayed on Sunday afternoon.
They entered this game with an inability to run the ball, an inability to get their big play receivers involved in the offense, and an inability to protect the quarterback. All three issues rose their ugly heads in Oakland.
For starters the philosophy of ground and pound is officially kaput. Once again the rushing attack was non-existent for the Jets as Shonn Greene ran for only 59 yards on 13 carries, and whenever he touched the ball, he was grounded and pounded into the ground himself by the Raiders defense.
The passing game was very limited too. Santonio Holmes had only one catch, and until the fourth quarter, Plaxico Burress was on pace for his second consecutive game with a donut.
A lot of the blame can be atributed to Sanchez who was timid and incompetent with the football. Sanchez hesitated against a Raiders secondary that is young and not very good, allowing Oakland to get some pressure on him. It didn't help, of course, that Nick Mangold was out with a leg injury, but Sanchez looked like a deer in the headlights all day; he was sacked four times and picked off once.
With the Jets up 17-7, the Raiders stormed back, spearheaded by the incomparable Darren McFadden who dashed for a 70 yard touchdown in the second quarter to pull Oakland to within three points.
Just before halftime, Raiders quarterback Jason Campbell provided some great touch since he completed six straight passes to move Oakland into field goal range for Sebastian Janikowski, who connected on a 54 yard field goal to tie the game.
The third quarter opened up with the Raiders defense blowing up the Jets offensive line. They sacked Sanchez three times and hit him consistently. The only reason the Jets moved the ball in the third quarter had more to do with penalties levied against the Raiders.
After the Jets turned the ball over on downs on a fourth and two at the Oakland 37, the Raiders shoved the ball down the Jets' throats. Campbell hit Derrick Hagan for 13 yards before McFadden ran for 27 yards to the Jets 23. Denarius Moore took it from there with a 23 yard scamper to give the Raiders a 24-17 lead.
The Raiders put the game away in the fourth quarter, when they recovered a fumble by Antonio Cromartie, who was back to return the kickoff. McFadden gashed the Jets for 12 more yards to move the ball to the 1 yard line, just before Michael Bush plunged in to give Oakland a 31-17 lead.
McFadden ran for 171 yards and two touchdowns against a Jets defense that looked soft, had no desire to blitz, and couldn't tackle a chicken. So much for Ryan's much ballyhooed defense. These guys are pathetic to watch.
The Jets slip to 2-1, and they are lucky not to be 1-2, if it weren't for that blocked punt in the Dallas game.
The road trip from hell continues next week when the Jets travel to Baltimore. Guess Halloween came early for Gang Green this year.
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