RAIDERS SEEK WIN VS. WINLESS JETS
Vegas is coming off a rough loss to Atlanta and is desperate for a victory
If you thought the Raiders were a mess Sunday, wait until you get a look at what’s been going on with the Jets, where ineptitude is a weekly occurrence.
The ignominy of an 0-16 season is five futile steps away for the 0-11 Jets, who are also just a loss to the Raiders away from tying the longest losing streak in the franchise’s 60-year history.
As the losses pile up, beleaguered Jets coach Adam Gase is naturally taking the brunt of the blame. He’s now lost 20 of the 27 games he’s coached for the Jets, including 12 losses by 15 points or more. The New York tabloids and talk shows are predictably consumed with Gase’s precarious job status.
Here’s a sample of some of the headlines:
• “Why haven’t Jets fired Adam Gase?”
• “Gase Closed”
• “For the love of God, fire Adam Gase already”
Some people who were inside the stadium during their latest
loss, 20-3 to the Dolphins on Sunday, serenaded the coach with chants of “Fire Gase!” And Gase is flailing amid that criticism almost as much as he is while running the Jets’ anemic, 32ndranked offense.
Gase supposedly gave up his play- calling duties a month ago to shake things up. Offensive coordinator Dowell Loggains began calling the plays. Or so Gase wanted everyone to believe. After Sunday’s loss, Gase was confronted by reporters who wondered who was really calling the plays. One reporter said he spotted Loggains “not doing anything” on the sidelines.
Clearly agitated, Gase denied he was the one calling the plays during the loss.
“I didn’t take over. We’ve done the same thing the last four games,” Gase told reporters. “( Loggains) tells me — it’s not hard, this is not hard — we go through it, the drive before. ‘ Hey, these are the three plays.’ I do the third downs.”
A reporter noted Loggains didn’t seem to be calling any plays in the second half. Gase said he only began calling some plays Sunday after the Jets fell further behind. On Monday, Gase came clean and admitted he and Loggains had actually been collaborating on the play- calling the last three games. Gase said he’d been intentionally deceiving reporters because he didn’t want to reveal the play- caller since it would put the Jets at a “competitive disadvantage.”
We can think of a better reason to keep the identity of the man who calls plays for the NFL’s lowest-scoring team in nearly a decade a secret.
Three reasons for optimism
LEAGUE’S WORST OFFENSE >> Speaking of messes, we present the Jets’ offense. New York has the NFL’s worst offense by far this season. The Jets have scored a paltry 13.8 points per game, last in the league by more than five points. The last team scoring fewer points per game than the Jets was in 2012, when the Chiefs were producing an average of 13.2 points per game. Not surprisingly, the Jets also produce the fewest yards per game in the NFL — they average 267.8 yards, or 38 yards less per game than the 31st-ranked Bears. It’s the second straight season they’ve had the worst offense in the league. There was at least some optimism last week when the Jets finally had their top three receivers all healthy — Jamison Crowder, Denzel Mims and Brashad Perriman — in addition to quarterback Sam Darnold. However, the Jets somehow produced a seasonlow 10 first downs in their loss to the Dolphins.
LEAGUE’S DLOSE-TO-WORST DEFENSE >> Although the production is incrementally improving, New York’s defense under coordinator Gregg Williams still isn’t much to brag about. The Jets have allowed the fourth most points of any team at 29.3 points per game. New York’s troubles usually begin right away as they give up the second most points in the first quarter and the most points of any team in the first half — an average of 17.1 points. From their 395.0 yards per game given up (fifth worst in the league) to their 30th-rated pass defense that permits 284 yards a game, the Jets’ defensive numbers really don’t get much better.
NO FANS IN ATTENDANDE >> Because COVID-19 restrictions in New Jersey’s Bergen County is keeping fans from attending games at MetLife Stadium, the Jets may have just lost their most important edge against the Raiders. In the Raiders’ stunning loss to the Jets last year, many Jets players talked about how motivated they became when they took the field on their own turf and were booed loudly by the partisan Raiders crowd in New Jersey. “We got booed in our own home stadium by the Oakland fans,” now ex-Jets safety Jamal Adams said after last year’s win. “We came back into this locker room and it was a hell of a talk.” Of course, if it helps, a creative person working the MetLife Stadium soundboard could always play a soundtrack of boos on Sunday.
Three reasons for pessimism
ONE CIG, PROMISING CUILDING CLODK >> As a whole, the Jets’ offensive line is a mess. But rookie left tackle Mekhi Becton brings the promise of much brighter days ahead. The 6-foot-7, 370-pounder from Louisville has been dominant and easily the most impressive Jets player on offense. He’s currently the leading vote getter among AFC offensive tackles as he bids to become the Jets’ first offensive player to make the Pro Bowl since 2015. Becton’s weekly highlights often feature him tossing defensive linemen around. The problem has been keeping the mammoth Becton on the field — he’s missed all or part of six of New York’s last nine games because of chest and shoulder injuries. The bad news for the Raiders is he’s set to go again this week.
ONE THAT GOT AWAY FROM RAIDERS? >> The Raiders were reportedly one of the teams enamored with defensive tackle Quinnen Williams before the 2019 draft. The Jets wound up taking the former Alabama star at No. 3 overall a year ago, one pick before the Raiders, who took Clelin Ferrell. So far, Williams has outperformed Ferrell. Williams, in fact, is coming off a career game against the Dolphins — he had seven tackles, 1.5 sacks, a forced fumble, three quarterback hits and two pass defenses. Williams has become a force from his nose tackle spot, where he’s racked up 41 tackles in 10 games as well as five sacks and three forced fumbles. He has at least a halfsack in three of the Jets’ last four games. Perhaps here’s the best way to quantify Williams’ play this season: Among NFL defensive tackles, he ranks first in run stop win rate and fifth in pass rush win rate, according the NFL Next Gen Stats.
ANOTHER ROOKIE TO WATDH >> Wide receiver Denzel Mims, a second-round pick out of Baylor, has only played in the Jets’ past five games but he’s already emerged as their most dangerous offensive weapon. After finally recovering from a pair of hamstring injuries, the 6-foot-3 Mims has 17 catches for 284 yards (16.7 per catch). He has at least 40 yards in each of his five games played. No other receiver in Jets history had as many as 40 yards in his first four games. Another stat where Mims stands out is in yards per route run, which takes total receiving yards and divides that by how many routes a receiver runs on passing plays. The theory behind YPR is it shows how well a player takes advantage of his opportunities. A YPR of 2.0 or better is considered very good. Mims is 26th among NFL receivers since his debut in Week 7 with a 2.11 YPR. For comparison’s sake, Arizona star DeAndre Hopkins has a 2.13 YPR since Week 7. Not bad company for Mims to be in already.