Here is a look at three crucial plays from the Jets’ 45-20 loss to the Raiders after reviewing the coaches’ tape.
Third quarter, 3:39 left: Raiders have the ball, third-and-1 on the Jets’ 43
The Jets had just kicked a field goal and were trailing 21-13, so there was still hope until this one opened the floodgates.
The Raiders came out with three wide receivers split to the right of the formation and Cordarrelle Patterson split to the left. By spreading the field, the Raiders left the Jets with very few defenders in the middle of the defense. The Jets compounded this by walking inside linebackers Demario Davis and Darron Lee up to the line of scrimmage in the A gaps between the center and guards. Safety Marcus Maye was outside covering a wide receiver, and safety Jamal Adams was lined up over the tight end.
Derek Carr, who was in the shotgun formation, motioned Patterson next to him. Jets cornerback Juston Burris followed him, leaving him basically alone on the second level of the Jets defense in the middle of the field.
Carr handed it off to Patterson, who went right up the middle. Left guard Kelechi Osemele and center Rodney Hudson threw the key blocks. Osemele pushed Lee 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Hudson turned Davis and brought him down to the ground. That left a gaping hole for Patterson, who blew past a diving Muhammad Wilkerson and then gave one cut to beat Burris, who was the last player between Patterson and the end zone. Adams gave chase, but could not get to Patterson, who scored the 43-yard touchdown.
Fourth quarter, 12:59 left: Raiders have the ball, first-and-10 on their own 48
The Raiders were up 28-13, and it felt like they had regained control of the game after an early push from the Jets. This play set the party off in Oakland, including Marshawn Lynch’s dancing on the sideline.
The Jets had three down linemen plus outside linebacker Jordan Jenkins lined up on the line of scrimmage. Linebacker Darron Lee was stacked behind Kony Ealy over the right tackle. Demario Davis was lined up over the left tackle. Derek Carr motioned in tight end Jared Cook just before the snap, bringing safety Jamal Adams into the box.
The play was a quick pitch to running back Jalen Richard. The Raiders could not have blocked this better. Hudson, the center, and right tackle Marshall Newhouse pulled on the play. Newhouse pushed Adams toward the sideline. Hudson blasted Lee so badly he knocked him off his feet. Cook blocked down to double-team Ealy along with right guard Gabe Jackson. The seal of Adams and Lee along with the seal of Ealy gave Richard a gap to cut into. Safety Marcus Maye took a terrible angle, and Richard showed his blazing speed on the way to the 52-yard touchdown.
Fourth quarter, 12:49 left: Jets have the ball, first-and-10 on their own 25
The Jets got the ball back after the Richard touchdown, and the Oakland Coliseum was rocking. The game felt like it was over at 35-13, but the Jets had a chance at least to make it respectable. They had not turned it over on offense all day until this play.
The Jets spread the field with three wide receivers split right and two split left. Raiders safety Karl Joseph lined up about 5 yards off the line of scrimmage. Joseph had successfully blitzed in the third quarter, leading to a sack. Now, he was hiding in the weeds.
Oakland only had two defensive linemen and then two linebackers standing up on the outside shoulder of the tackles. Denico Autry was on the shoulder of Jets right tackle Brandon Shell, who had done a good job all day blocking Khalil Mack. As soon as the ball was snapped, Autry dropped into a zone coverage, and Joseph blitzed. Shell saw Joseph, but could not reach him as Joseph looped around the end. Josh McCown’s first read was to the left, and he never saw Joseph coming. Joseph got to McCown, knocked the ball loose and recovered it – the trifecta for a blitzer. The Raiders scored another touchdown a few plays later, and the rout was on.
