Oakland Raiders: Notes And Observations From Week Eight
By Kevin Saito
November 1, 2015; Oakland, CA, USA; New York Jets quarterback Geno Smith (7) reacts after being sacked by Oakland Raiders defensive end Khalil Mack (52, not pictured) during the fourth quarter at O.co Coliseum. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports
Punched In The Mouth
Not to put too fine of a point on it, but the Raiders defense absolutely punched the Jets in the mouth last Sunday – insert your own Geno Smith joke of choice here.
Giving the Jets a number of different looks, putting heavy pressure first on Ryan Fitzpatrick and then Smith, and doing a really, really good job of covering the Jets’ receivers, the Oakland defense stymied the New York offense for the first half of the football game.
For the second straight week, Oakland kept the opposing team’s offense on their heels long enough for the Raiders’ offense to sprint out to an enormous lead that was insurmountable. Of course, for the second straight week, some questionable play calling threatened to allow a team back into the game – but more on that later.
The Raiders got to Smith three times with Khalil Mack, Denico Autry, and D.J. Hayden all registering sacks. The seemingly ageless and immortal Charles Woodson also picked off Smith for his league leading fifth interception.
Oakland’s run defense – ranked second, behind only the Jets in the NFL – bottled up Chris Ivory, who came into the game averaging nearly 90 yards per game on the ground. Unlike Latavius Murray, Ivory found zero room to run and was dropped before he ever got started.
For the game, Ivory finished with just 17 yards on 15 carries for a less than stellar average of 1.13 yards per carry and the Jets, as a team, gained just 74 yards on the ground.
The Raiders continued their string of dominance against the run, not allowing a single 100 yard rusher on the season and giving up an average of just 82 yards per game on the ground.
And with the secondary playing better each and every week, Oakland’s defense is really beginning to round into a dominant, suffocating group.
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