New York Jets vs. Oakland Raiders: Oakland Grades, Notes and Quotes
The Oakland Raiders earned their first victory against a winning team in convincing fashion on Sunday.
Offensive coordinator Bill Musgrave put together an aggressive game plan for the passing attack. Quarterback Derek Carr made a statement on the first drive when he threw at New York Jets cornerback Darrelle Revis.
Wide receiver Amari Cooper didn’t fully explode on the Jets secondary, but the message became a symbolic stance for the Raiders offense. Oakland made it clear they weren’t backing down from one of the league's toughest defenses.
The Jets came into this contest with the best run defense, allowing 71.5 yards per game. Running back Latavius Murray looked fresh on his legs without any hesitation slicing and dicing through the Jets’ interior run defense.
Carr went 23-of-36 for 333 yards and four touchdowns in another impressive performance against a tough secondary. Any doubt left about Carr’s development no longer exists.
The Raiders offense didn’t come out as sharp in the second half, but the defense made critical plays when necessary in long-yardage situations to seal their biggest victory of the year in a 34-20 outcome.
Position Grades for Raiders
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| Position | Grade |
| Quarterback | A |
| Running backs | A |
| Wide Receivers | B+ |
| Tight Ends/H-Back | C |
| Offensive Line | A |
| Defensive Line | A |
| Linebackers | B |
| Defensive Backs | B |
| Special Teams | B |
| Coaching | A- |
Quarterback: Carr continues to make smart decisions with the football. Musgrave’s game plan has put the young quarterback in position to choose from multiple weapons in the pocket. He’s making solid decisions and not turning the ball over.
Running Backs: Murray flashed his talent and showed why he’s the lead back in Oakland. He ran for 112 yards on 20 carries. Taiwan Jones may have solidified his spot, surpassing Roy Helu as the No. 2 running back in the backfield and in passing situations with nifty footwork in the open field.
Wide Receivers: Michael Crabtree had the most complete game among the Raiders receivers, accumulating over 100 yards and scoring a touchdown.
Andre Holmes flashed some prowess in the red zone and on a deep route, scoring in both situations. Those were his only two catches.
On Sunday, Amari Cooper jumped out to a quick start and simmered down thereafter. He finished the game with five receptions for 46 yards.
Tight Ends/H-Back: The tight ends didn’t contribute much in this contest as receiving threats, but Marcel Reece exhibited his receiving skills as a mismatch against the Jets linebackers in coverage. Lee Smith contributed to the run blocking on the edges.
Offensive Line: The Raiders' run and pass protection dominated in the trenches. The Jets' defensive front known as "The Sack Exchange" plummeted with a major loss. The offensive line barely allowed a finger on Carr throughout the game.
Defensive Line: The defensive front showed Part II of the domination in the trenches. The Raiders sacked Jets quarterback Geno Smith three times and crushed him on multiple occasions when he scrambled away from pocket pressure.
Jets running back Chris Ivory danced east to west on carries and couldn’t escape Khalil Mack and Aldon Smith’s grasp on the edges.
Linebackers: Oakland’s linebackers didn’t show up in the box score with sacks, but they contained the tight ends for most of the game. Kellen Davis’ touchdown in the back of the end zone shows up as the only blemish in terms of linebacker coverage.
Defensive Backs: The Raiders didn’t have an answer for Jets wide receiver Brandon Marshall. He eclipsed 100 receiving yards as the Jets' go-to option on offense. Fortunately, the secondary kept him out of the end zone.
Wideouts Eric Decker, Jeremy Kerley and ex-Raider Kenbrell Thompkins combined for 16 receptions, 164 yards and a touchdown even with Smith quarterbacking for the injured Ryan Fitzpatrick.
However, old reliable safety Charles Woodson recorded his fifth interception, and cornerback D.J. Hayden registered a sack.
Special Teams: For consecutive weeks, the Raiders spared punter Marquette King from his punting duties for a majority of the contest. He punted three times, pinning the Jets inside the 20-yard line once, which became a key factor in forcing the Jets off-beat offense to drive down the entire field late in the game.
Sebastian Janikowski’s missed 52-yard field goal had fans thinking about his slow decline. He made a 52-yard kick in the second half to match the failed attempt.
Coaching: There’s a lot of credit due to Musgrave for a game plan focused on implementing a multitude of weapons. Carr completed passes to nine different players.
Defensive coordinator Ken Norton Jr. may have developed David Amerson into a complete cornerback. He battled Marshall on some plays, which became a tough task. Despite the wide receiver’s 108 receiving yards, he didn’t hurt the Raiders in the red zone.
Amerson provides toughness to the secondary as he develops his tackling technique and applies closing hits.
Color commentator and former Raiders quarterback Rich Gannon briefly mentioned the confidence emanating from the Raiders sideline this season.
Head coach Jack Del Rio has instilled that change in culture he talked about in the offseason. It’s about time the league takes Del Rio’s Raiders seriously. They’re 4-3 with a quality victory and two separate win streaks.
Michael Crabtree Records Second 100-Yard Game
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Michael Crabtree became the main attraction on the perimeter with Cooper battling Revis.
The seventh-year veteran outplayed Jets cornerback Antonio Cromartie in one-on-one situations. He showed toughness in his ability to break through the Jets’ lazy tackles for an early touchdown.
Crabtree didn’t record a single 100-yard game with the San Francisco 49ers in 2014. A renewed energy across the bay brings back flashes of the wideout’s promise as a top-10 pick from Texas Tech.
Latavius Murray Eclipses 100 Yards Against League's Best Run Defense
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Latavius Murray shredded the league’s best run defense. He averaged 5.6 yards per carry and only needed 20 carries to accumulate 113 yards on the ground.
He managed to bounce his runs toward the outside and find holes in the Jets' seemingly impenetrable run defense.
The offensive line opened lanes for the running back and deserves a fair share of praise for holding blocks and preventing an aggressive front from dominating the trenches.
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Del Rio Speaks on Bill Musgrave
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Del Rio briefly spoke about what goes on in Musgrave’s mind when he’s implementing the game plan week to week.
“Coach Musgrave always talks about starting a fire, being creative on offense and feeding off that energy,” the Raiders head coach told reporters.
The Raiders ignited a full blaze against the Jets defense. The spark started with the rushing attack and spread outward with multiple receiving options making catches.
Gang Green couldn’t focus on one particular weapon; it became a team effort to move the ball on offense. The Raiders' passing attack notched 16 of the team's 22 first downs.
Taiwan Jones Taking It Back to the Playground
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On the most eye-opening play of the game, running back Taiwan Jones juked and jived his way to a 59-yard touchdown reception.
According to San Francisco Chronicle writer Vic Tafur via Twitter, Jones referenced an informal style of play for his brilliant footwork on the field. He mentioned “taking it back to the playground.”
The Jets showed poor tackling technique and allowed the quick, shifty tailback to embarrass them on a short reception. Jones extended that short catch into a long touchdown, prompting an eruption from the crowd.
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All statistics are provided by Pro-Football-Reference.com, Pro Football Focus and Team Rankings unless otherwise noted.
Week 8 play-by-play analysis provided by: NFL.com.
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