The Jets have an opportunity to win their third consecutive game with a match against the Oakland Raiders this week, which would be the first three-game winning streak for them since Oct. 8, 2017. Their opponent is coming off three consecutive wins itself but features a highly susceptible defense that has given up the 14th-most yards per game (368.1) and the 12th-most points per game (25.0).
Sam Darnold is rolling the past three weeks with a 65.66 completion percentage and 261 yards per game with six touchdowns and only two interceptions. He gets another easy passing defense this week and should find ways to get the Jets down the field and into scoring position much like he’s done in back-to-back wins.
Here are four keys to the Jets offense in Week 12.
(Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports)
Lean on Sam Darnold’s arm
Darnold has been on a hot streak lately against some of the worst secondaries in the league. He gets another cupcake matchup in Week 12 against the Raiders’ 26th-ranked pass defense. Oakland allows quarterbacks to throw for 262.2 yards per game with a 102.8 rating and also allows a touchdown on seven percent of passing attempts (31st ahead of only the Dolphins). Darnold should have a field day against the secondary even after Oakland held Ryan Finley and the Bengals to only 115 yards this past week.
Besides the Cincinnati game, the Raiders haven’t been getting much pressure on quarterbacks, which should help Darnold’s ability to find his receivers. They rank 28th in quarterback hits with 45 and have only 25 sacks on the year. The Jets will need Darnold to build on his career-high four-touchdown performance against the Redskins this week against another lowly pass defense.
Don’t turn the ball over
Part of the reason Oakland is on a three-game winning streak is that the defense has forced seven turnovers over the past three weeks. The Raiders are 5-1 when they force at least one turnover, while the Jets have given away the ball at least once in all but one game. Darnold played well against the Redskins in Week 11 but still threw an errant interception that could have led to more than just a field goal.
If Darnold and the rest of the team can limit mistakes, the Jets should have a much easier time against the Raiders’ soft defense. Oakland is tied for the sixth-fewest takeaways in the league with 12 and has given up almost 400 yards of offense in its losses without takeaways.
Target Ryan Griffin
Only three tight ends have failed to either eclipse 50 receiving yards or score a touchdown against Oakland – Noah Fant’s rookie debut, a beleaguered Trey Burton and washed Tyler Eifert. Every other tight end that’s faced the Raiders, including the likes of Darren Fells and Irv Smith Jr., has played well against one of the worst defenses against the tight end.
After a five-catch, 109-yard, touchdown performance against the Redskins, Griffin has a chance for another great game this week. Sam Darnold is looking Griffin’s way often, and he could be the recipient of a lot of targets against the Raiders.
Get in the red zone
The Raiders have one of the worst red-zone defenses in the league this year. Teams score touchdowns on 65.8 percent of their trips inside the Raiders’ 20-yard line, which ranks second highest in the NFL. The Jets used to have one of the worst red-zone offenses in the league but since have scored touchdowns on all but one drive in the red zone. Now, the Jets score touchdowns on 62.1 percent of their trips – 12th in the league.
With Robby Anderson, Jamison Crowder and Ryan Griffin performing well in big spots, the Jets should be able to put more points up if they get in the red zone. The key will be getting there, though. The Jets still rank last with only 18 trips to the red zone, though they’ve scored touchdowns 11 times.
