Oakland Raiders: A Few Keys To Beating The New York Jets

The Oakland Raiders host the New York Jets in their only home game in the first quarter of the season – let’s take a look at a few keys to walking out of week two with a win.

The Oakland Raiders, after posting a solid week one win over the Titans, are home to host the New York Jets. It’s the first and only home game through the first month of the season, meaning the Raiders will hopefully make it a special day for the fans – it is, after all, the regular season debut of hometown hero Marshawn Lynch.

Given the current state of the Jets’ (maybe, sorta, kinda) rebuilding process, many will be tempted to think that this game will be a gimme. Some oddsmakers certainly do, making the Raiders two touchdown favorites in the game.

And given the state of – flux – the Jets are in (especially at the quarterback position) it’s not hard to see why most aren’t giving the Jets a puncher’s chance in this game.

But – and don’t laugh here – it would be a massive mistake to take this team lightly. Seriously, don’t laugh.

This Jets team doesn’t have an excess of talent, this is true. But they do still have some playmakers – especially on the defensive side of the ball. This is a Jets team that, despite lacking any offensive success last week, hung around with the Buffalo Bills, trailing by just two points heading into the fourth quarter.

They ultimately surrendered a fourth quarter touchdown that provided the nine point margin of defeat, but the Jets can thank that defense for allowing them to stick around as long as they did.

Oakland can’t afford to let the Jets stick around. They need to come out right away, knock them down, and not let them get back up.

This is a very winnable game in a schedule that features few of them. And the Raiders need to take advantage of that. With that in mind, here are a few keys to making that happen…