New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders: What's the Game Plan for New York?

When the NFL schedule was announced way back when, and all began to breakdown everything week-by-week, few pegged the Jets and Raiders' Week 8 matchup as one of the best of that weekend.

After all, these were two teams that won a combined seven games last year.

But new coaches, solid drafts, impressive free-agent signings and more have turned the two former laughing stocks into, believe it or not, playoff contenders. And, again, believe it or not, this Sunday’s game between the two has, yes really, playoff implications.

The Raiders sit 3-3, the Jets 4-2.

So, what's going to happen when the two teams meet? And better yet, how can the Jets pull out a victory? Here's the game plan for New York entering Sunday's date at the Oakland Coliseum. 

Offensive Game Plan

It really isn't hard to see where the Raiders look to have success on the defensive side of the ball. When you have two edge-rushers that go by the names Aldon Smith and Khalil Mack, the goal, each and every week, is going to be to get after the quarterback. 

The Raiders don't have a Darrelle Revis, Joe Haden, Patrick Peterson or any other elite-level cornerback on the backend. The best way to mask a secondary that is a little better than average is to not put it in situations to get beat.

If a quarterback has time to sit back in the pocket and scan the field, he'll find holes in Oakland's secondary. As was the case, on a few occasions, in the Raiders game last weekend against the San Diego Chargers.

The key to the Raiders defense is to not let that above situation happen, and the best way to do that is to get after the quarterback.

See, the Raiders secondary is good enough to cover an opponent's receivers for the first couple of seconds of a play. It's after that three-second mark that things tend to break down. What Smith and Mack are tasked with is getting to the quarterback before receivers can get away from Oakland's corners. When the two can do that, good things happen. 

The Jets are going to look to counteract Oakland's pass rush a few different ways. The first, and most obvious method, is to simply run the ball. There's no better way to slow down a rush than to pound the rock. 

Where pass-rushers have their most success is when they know the offense is going to throw the ball. Once a team is looking at a two- or three-score deficit, it's obvious the pass is coming. As a result, a defense can "pin their ears back" and simply get after the quarterback.

While certainly jumping in front early helps, a rusher can also take advantage anytime an offense is put in those "passing" situations. On a 2nd-and-long, 3rd-and-long—suddenly, defensive players don't need to worry about the threat of a run. They know a quarterback needs to throw it, so they make their focus firing off the ball, getting up the field and getting a QB. 

The Jets can neutralize this with successful first- and second-down plays. Say New York picks up three yards on first down, four on second. Suddenly Fitzpatrick isn't in the shotgun knowing he needs to get 15 yards to move the chains. Instead, he's looking at a 3rd-and-3.

The run option is there; so is the pass. A defense can't just tee-off on rushing the passer. It has to respect the run, see if the ball is handed off first and then get after the quarterback. 

QB Hits	QB Hurries	QB Sacks	Batted Passes
6	40	5	4

That slight hesitation from a defender waiting to see if it's a run or pass before rushing the quarterback can be all the time one needs to find a player open down the field. 

Fitzpatrick will also be tasked with getting the ball out of his hands quickly; again, another way to slow down the rush. If the ball leaves a quarterback's hand before the rush can get there, it nullifies any rush, no matter who's on the other side. 

Defensive Game Plan

Everyone knows about Raiders rookie wideout Amari Cooper. He's the talk of town, Odell Beckham Jr. 2.0, the one proving all the scouts who said he didn't have any elite qualities wrong. 

But the thing is, the Raiders offense isn't just Cooper. It's much, much more. And quarterback Derek Carr does a phenomenal job of getting each one of them involved. 

So far this season, 14 different players have caught passes from Carr. Of those 14 players, five have double-digit catches through six games, three have more than 100 yards receiving, seven have caught touchdowns and six are averaging 10-plus yards per reception. 

Yeah, these aren't the Raiders from the past few years. 

Against the San Diego Chargers a week ago, Cooper stole the show with five receptions for 133 yards and a touchdown, and rightfully so. When you can make plays like the one below, you deserve the spotlight. 

But the thing is, while Cooper has made an impact in most of the games he's played in this year, Carr doesn't have tunnel vision when targeting him.

So many times when a quarterback has a receiver with Cooper's abilities, a quarterback, especially a young quarterback, locks onto said target and throws it to him over, and over, and over again—whether he's covered or not.

That's not the case with Carr. And that may be his most impressive attribute. 

Despite the fact Cooper's on the offense, Carr spreads the ball around equally. Versus San Diego, Cooper wasn't even the player targeted most; that was Michael Crabtree, who saw eight passes throw his way. Cooper and Crabtree were two of 10 whom Carr targeted.

He's spreading the ball around, which makes a defense's life difficult. All players need to be covered at all times. If they're not, Carr's going to find the open one, not force it to someone who's covered. 

But the difference between the Jets, and most other defenses in the NFL, is New York has a secondary that can, quite literally, cover anyone. If you put five wideouts on the field, the Jets can match with five capable corners. If the Raiders choose to feature a tight end, the Jets have a safety who can cover him. 

On Sunday, look for Darrelle Revis to cover Cooper, Antonio Cromartie to cover Crabtree. Buster Skrine, who will play despite having an injured finger, will take whoever is in the slot, and Marcus Gilchrist will take the tight end and anyone out of the backfield. 

The difference in the game will come down to who wins their individual matchups. If one of the Jets cornerbacks has an off day, and his Raiders counterpart can take advantage, the Raiders offense has a chance to be effective. If the reverse happens, it favors the Jets. 

This particular situation, Oakland's offense versus the Jets defense, will truthfully come down to individual battles, not so much schemes. 

Key Matchups and Players

Amari Cooper vs. Darrelle Revis

His resume is impressive, very impressive. Aside from the Pro Bowl appearances and All-Pro honors, the list of names that have been stranded on his Island Resort are of "A-List" notoriety. 

Chad Ochocino, Andre Johnson, Randy Moss, Calvin Johnson... all in their prime...have been nullified and rendered irrelevant by Darrelle Revis. So with rookie Cooper as Revis' next test, while the cornerback certainly has respect for him, he's not exactly "nervous."

"I've watched a little bit," Revis said when asked about Cooper. "He's a talent." 

This Sunday will be Cooper's first real "Welcome to the NFL moment" when he sees exactly what he can do against Revis. Now in his second tour with the Jets, Revis is playing some of the best football of his career. 

Statistic Type	Statistic Number	Best Since
Interceptions	3	2011
Fumble Recoveries	3	Career High
TDs Allowed	1	2011
QB Rating	36.0	2009
Completion Percentage	46.7	2011
PFF Ranking (75% of Team's Snaps)	6th	2014

How will Cooper fair? Sunday, all will find out just how legit the early Rookie of the Year candidate is. 

Dion Bailey, Jets Safety

Charles Krupa/Associated Press

A year ago, few players were beat up as much as Calvin Pryor during his rookie season with the Jets. Drafted as a "box safety" who was someone physical and packed a punch with each hit, Pryor was forced to play "coverage" in 2014. Things weren't pretty, as he struggled mightily and was benched several times by ex-Jets head coach Rex Ryan. 

With all the additions made by the Jets, this year, Pryor has been allowed to get back to his natural position, and he's thrived. He's been a key piece to the Jets defense, too. With Pryor's ability to play at the line, New York's been dominant against the run. The Jets are allowing a league-low 71.5 yards per game on the ground.

Against the Raiders, Pryor won't be in the lineup. He's out with an injured ankle. Filling his place and hoping for no drop-off is Dion Bailey.  

Claimed off the waiver wire last month, Bailey, 23, was originally signed by the Seattle Seahawks last year as an undrafted free agent. During his three-year collegiate career at USC, Bailey recorded 223 tackles (17 of them for a loss), four sacks and intercepted four passes.

He's played spot duty for the Jets this year, but on Sunday, he'll make his first start. 

"Dion is a good football player," head coach Todd Bowles said back when Bailey was signed. "Dion started the first two games for Seattle. He did some things that we liked and obviously they kept Dion over [Ronald] Martin at the time. He was a guy for future reference that we wanted to get our hands on."

Against the Patriots last week, Bailey was one of the players responsible for New England's 3rd-and-17 conversion late in the game. 

Can he improve? Or will he be a liability on Sunday.  

With a win...

It'll be a nice bounce-back for the Jets after last week's loss to the Patriots. It could also be key come playoff time. With New England at 7-0, the Jets' best shot at the playoffs is a wild card. One of the team's they'll be competing with? The Raiders. Getting the edge in the head-to-head battle could be big down the stretch. 

With a loss...

Geno? Geno, you there?

Back-to-back losses for Fitzpatrick could eat up all the slack on his starting leash. He wouldn't be benched after a loss to the Raiders, but if he followed it with another in the next two weeks, Geno Smith may be given the starting job back by Week 10. Not to mention, the loss could have big playoff implications. 

Prediction

It's going to be close. There's no denying that. The Raiders are one of the NFL's up-and-coming teams. Oakland has a young quarterback on the rise, has him surrounded with playmakers, a solid offense line and a defense that can get pressure on any offensive line. 

But Oakland is also inexperienced. And the Jets have veterans littered across the roster. 

In two or three years, the Raiders probably win this game nine out of 10 times. Once Oakland gets a bit more experience, the team's going to be dominant in an AFC West that could be wide open once the likes of Peyton Manning and Philip Rivers retire. 

But on Sunday, look for the Jets to make the heads-up plays that come with simply having more experience. 

Carr will turn it over a few times, Oakland won't be able to run the ball and Revis will contain Cooper. As mentioned above, it'll be close, but the Raiders don't have enough to pull it out. 

Jets 30, Raiders 20

Connor Hughes is the New York Jets beat writer for the Journal Inquirer and Scout.com. All quotes, practice observations and advanced stats referenced are gathered firsthand unless otherwise noted.

Connor can be reached on Twitter (@Connor_J_Hughes) or via email ([e-mail])