The Jets defense is real.
Ask the Raiders.
They came to MetLife Stadium on Sunday riding a three-game winning streak with a 6-4 record and visions of overtaking the Chiefs for first place in the AFC West.
And they left New Jersey 34-3 losers, battered and bruised and probably wondering how it’s possible the Jets have lost seven games this season with that defense of theirs.
Sunday marked the first time the Jets have held an opponent to three or fewer points since Week 2 of the 2011 season when they ripped the Jaguars 32-3.
On this day, it was not Sam Darnold who was seeing ghosts, it was the entire Oakland offense, with Jets mastermind defensive coordinator Gregg Williams playing the part of Casper the Friendly Ghost.
Except Williams was anything but friendly with his successful plan to dismantle the Raiders.
Gregg Williams is real.
The Jets defense is real.
Ask Raiders running back Josh Jacobs, who entered the game as the fourth-leading rusher in the NFL with 923 yards and seven touchdowns and finished with a harmless 34 yards on 10 carries (and 15 of those came on one carry, meaning Jacobs gained 19 yards on his other nine carries).
“They have the No. 1 rush defense in the game, so I expected them to do that,’’ Jacobs said. “They just had a better game plan than us.’’
The Jets, who entered with the NFL’s top-rated rushing defense, held the Raiders to 68 rushing yards, far fewer than the 128 per game they came into the game averaging. The Raiders managed only 10 first downs and 208 yards of total offense despite averaging 20 first downs and 371 yards of total offense per game.
The Jets defense is real.
Ask Raiders quarterback David Carr, who entered the game having completed 72.3 percent of his passes for 2,494 yards with 15 TDs, only five INTs a passer rating of 105.2. He was replaced by backup Mike Glennon late in the third quarter after completing 15 of 27 for 127 yards with an INT and a 52.6 rating.
“We got our butts kicked and there is no way around that,’’ Carr said. “They got after us from start to finish.’’
Ask Raiders sure-handed receiver Hunter Renfrow, who was blown up on a punishing combo-platter hit by Jets cornerback Bless Austin and linebacker James Burgess in the second quarter and later was unable to finish the game because of sore ribs.
Austin, a rookie from Rutgers, did not play his first NFL game until three weeks ago, which means he’s 3-0 as a pro.
“He’s been making his presence felt,’’ linebacker Brandon Copeland said. “You see receivers get up slowly after he hits them. You’re seeing a guy getting his opportunity and running with it.’’
The Jets defense is real, and on this day in particular, it was spectacular.
Ask Raiders fullback Alec Ingold, who was stuffed like a Thanksgiving turkey by Jets safety Marcus Maye and linebacker Neville Hewitt on a fourth-and-1 play from the Oakland 39-yard line on the Raiders first series of the second half, down 20-3 and desperate to generate some kind of spark on offense.
That, as it turned out, was the Raiders’ last stand, their last chance to get into the game.
Four plays later, the Jets took a 27-3 lead on a 1-yard Darnold pass to Robby Anderson.
The Jets made it 34-3 when cornerback Brian Poole returned an interception 15 yards for a TD with 6:25 still remaining in the third quarter.
The Jets defense is real.
Ask Raiders receiver Tyrell Williams, who was obliterated by a Hewitt hit that jarred the ball loose for Poole’s pick-six.
This was as complete a performance the Jets have produced in Adam Gase’s 11 games as their head coach. Not coincidentally, it was the Jets’ most complete and dominant performance on defense.
A week ago, the Jets defense held Adrian Peterson to 25 yards on nine carries. The week before that, Giants star running back Saquon Barkley gained 1 yard on 13 carries.
“Our defense the last three weeks has played lights out,’’ Darnold said. “When they do that, it makes our job easy.’’
This game, quite honestly, looked too easy for the Jets, who entered the game as three-point underdogs.
Now they’ve won three consecutive games for the first time since the 2017 season with a road game against the 0-11 Bengals awaiting next Sunday and a home game against the 2-9 Dolphins the following week.
Suddenly, the prospect of the Jets playing the Ravens on Dec. 12 in Baltimore with a 6-7 record and being at least a part of AFC playoff conversation doesn’t seem so outlandish.
Yes, the entire team has played better, but it’s the defense that has led this charge.
The Jets defense is real.
For more on the Jets’ blowout win, listen to the latest episode of the “Gang’s All Here” podcast: