The Jets are officially on a roll.
New York made it three wins in a row with a 34-3 trouncing of the Raiders in Week 12. Oakland entered the day one game back of the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC West and in possession of the final wild card spot, but that didn’t prevent the Jets from dominating from start to finish. Thanks to strong efforts from Sam Darnold and a stifling defense, Gang Green set the tone early and never looked back.
Let’s take a look back at New York’s fourth win of the season with four takeaways from Sunday’s action.
Where has this team been all season?
It’s a bird, it’s a plane, it’s the…Jets finally getting their act together?
It’s hard to believe considering the way the season started, but things are finally trending in the right direction at One Jets Drive. It took two months, but New York is finally firing on all cylinders in all three facets of the game.
Gang Green’s win over a postseason contender gives its resurgence legitimacy. It’s probably too little, too late in terms of making a playoff push, but it’s certainly encouraging to see the Jets playing up to the potential they entered 2019 with.
Adam Gase’s best game as Jets head coach
Adam Gase has garnered plenty of criticism for his playcalling in his brief tenure as Jets head coach. That won’t be the case this week with the game he called against the Raiders.
Gase pushed all of the right buttons against Oakland and orchestrated an offensive gameplan that could not be stopped. Sam Darnold (who we’ll get to in a little bit) was put in a position to succeed throughout the afternoon and delivered. New York’s stable of running backs all contributed in whichever role Gase opted to employ them. The first-year head coach even got creative and dialed up a reverse flea-flicker that resulted in big yardage.
Gase’s offensive skill set was on full display in Week 12. With the lowly Bengals next on the schedule, he’ll have a shot to stay hot with his playcalling next week.
Darnold does it again
With Thanksgiving on the horizon, it’s only fitting that Sam Darnold got a head start on the holiday by carving up the Raiders before he gets to his turkey.
Darnold had his way with an Oakland defense that has been solid in 2019, going 20-29 for 315 yards, two touchdowns and a rushing touchdown. Not only did Darnold put together a solid stat line, but he also made a bevy of impressive throws throughout the afternoon and used his legs effectively to prolong and make plays.
Prior to Sunday, Darnold’s recent hot streak could’ve been taken with a grain of salt considering the quality of competition he was going up against. There’s no debating that the USC product is now back to himself after lighting up a postseason-caliber defense.
Defensive dominance across the board
The Raiders never had a chance with the Jets’ defense operating at elite levels on Sunday.
From a Brian Poole pick-six to multiple blown up plays in the Oakland backfield, five pass breakups in the secondary and six quarterback hits, New York’s defense came together to slow down a potent Oakland offense.
Gregg Williams called a great game and his players came through for him. You can’t ask for much better of a defensive performance than what the Jets put together in Week 12.
