The New York Jets’ 2017 NFL campaign is off to a horrible start after it suffered an embarrassing 21-12 loss to Buffalo on Sunday. The Jets simply had no answer for the returning Tyrod Taylor who threw for 224 yards and a pair of touchdowns. It was a disappointing performance by the Jets who never led the entire match.
They will look to get their season back on track when they lock horns with the Oakland Raiders this coming Sunday. For the Jets to record a major upset, they will need to improve on their play on the offensive end. The Jets recorded just 214 total yards in their loss to the Bills. The onus then is on quarterback Josh McCown to step up his game against the Raiders. He struggled mightily on Sunday, completing just 26 of 39 passes for 187 yards with no touchdowns and a couple of interceptions.
It’s tough pinning your hopes, however, on a quarterback who’s 1-17 in his last 18 starts. The Jets may be better served by focusing their attack against Oakland on their running game. The tandem of Matt Forte and Bilal Powell combined for just 38 yards rushing on Sunday. It’s paramount for the Jets to involve Powell more against the Raiders. Powell might be the Jets’ best player on offense, yet he didn’t touch the ball against Buffalo until there was 3:43 left in the first half.
The Jets are 3-7 SU and ATS in their last 10 road games.
Marshawn Lynch is back and that spells bad news for the rest of the NFL. Beast Mode returned with a vengeance in Oakland’s 26-16 win over Tennessee, rushing for 76 yards on 18 carries. He took the first carry of the game for the Raiders and rumbled right past Pro Bowl defensive lineman Jurrell Casey on Oakland’s final scoring drive on one of his six rushes to set up the game-clinching field goal.
Lynch will be licking his chops at the prospect of facing a Jets defensive line that allowed a whopping 190 yards on the ground on Sunday. New York had difficulty stopping LeSean McCoy who ran for 110 yards on 22 carries in the season-opener. Also excelling in his return for Oakland on Sunday was Derek Carr. The Fresno native showed no ill effects of the leg injury he suffered in Week 16 last season, completing 22 of 32 passes for 262 yards and two touchdowns. Carr’s injury dashed Oakland’s Super Bowl hopes last year, but his successful return in Week 1 coupled with Lynch’s impressive debut has brought optimism back to the Raider Nation.
Jack Del Rio’s men will look to keep the momentum going when they host the New York Jets this coming Sunday. The Raiders will fancy their chances of doing just that as they have fared extremely well at home of late. The Raiders went 5-2 at Oakland Coliseum last season. The Raiders last hosted the Jets back in November 2015 when they handed New York a 34-20 shellacking.
The Raiders are 3-1 ATS in their last four home games.
Writer’s Prediction
Oakland not only wins but also covers the -13.5 point spread against the Gang Green.
