Well, at least the Jets tried hard. However, their effort just wasn't enough to slow down the high-powered Raiders' offense led by QB Rich Gannon who had his 9th 300+ passing yard game of the season. The Raiders gained over 400 yards on offense, converted 50% of third downs, did not commit any turnovers, which ultimately resulted in a 20-26 Jets' loss.
When the Jets' offense stepped onto the field in the first quarter, it seemed more like they were still somewhere inside the locker room. The first Jets' drive lasted around 2 minutes - two plays for no gain and a 4-yard pass on 3rd and 10. The next drive was a bit better - 5 plays, 3 minutes, 21 yards, and another punt. That was it for the first quarter!
In the second quarter the Jets' offense continued to struggle, as once again they came out after just 3 plays on their first drive. The 4th drive started on the Raiders' 34-yard line! The result? 5 plays, 18 yards, and a blocked field goal! Finally, the offense woke up on the fifth possession and drove 62 yards for a score. QB Chad Pennington, who finished the game 22/34 for 265 yards, first connected with WR Wayne Chrebet on a 37-yard completion. Then Pennington completed a 14-yard pass to WR Laveranues Coles, the latter had 10 receptions for 158 yards in this game. On the next play CB Charles Woodson got called for defensive pass interference on Wayne Chrebet, and the Jets suddenly found themselves on Oakland's 11. RB Curtis Martin ran up the middle for 5 yards, and then Pennington completed a 6-yard TD pass to FB Jerald Sowell. The Jets took a 7-6 lead. Right before halftime the Jets obtained the ball on the Raiders' 28-yard line, WR/PR Santana Moss returned a punt for 29 yards, but managed to gain just 11 yards. K John Hall scored, and the Jets were up 10-6 at halftime.
The Raiders' came out steaming in the 2nd half, scoring on their first possession. The Jets' defense? They were still somewhere in the locker room, just like the Jets' offense was in the first quarter. The Jets got the ball, and it seemed like they were going to respond quickly. But Chad Pennington got sacked for a loss of 8 yards, and then.... 2nd and 18 - a draw to Curtis Martin, 3rd and 18 - another draw to Curtis Martin. Oh, Paul Hackett, the "offensive" mastermind....
The Jets' defense woke up for a moment and forced Oakland to punt. RB/KR Chad Morton, who replaced injured Santana Moss in the 2nd half, muffed the punt and the Raiders recovered on the Jets' 12. This is where the Raiders took control of this game and never looked back. Four plays later Zach Crockett scored, giving Oakland a 20-10 lead with just 2:35 left in the third quarter. The Jets? Paul Hackett suddenly decided that it was a perfect time to establish the running game, which the Jets never got going on this Monday evening - only 32 rushing yards in the entire game. A few runs by Curtis Martin, a failed trick play (Curtis Martin was supposed to throw to Wayne Chrebet), another failed 3rd down opportunity (the Jets were just 1/8 on third downs in this game), and the Jets had to settle for 3 points. The Raiders? Well, they definitely knew what they were doing. They followed with a 10-play drive that lasted almost 8 minutes, and scored another field goal just to make this once again a 2-score game.
There was 7:48 left to play in the 4th quarter, and Paul Hackett finally realized that, well.... it was time to abandon the running game and dump the conservative part of his playbook. Seven plays in a little more than 2 minutes, 71 yards, and a touchdown pass from Pennington to Chrebet! 20-23 and it was far from over! Well, it was time for the defense to step up and get the ball back. We all can dream, can't we? The Raiders were facing a 3rd and 8 on their own 44-yard line with over 3 minutes left to play. What a perfect chance to stop their drive! Gannon to Jerry Rice - 18 yards, another first down for the Raiders, plus a 15-yard face mask penalty on LB James Darling! The Raiders' drive stalled 2 minutes later and cost the Jets both of their remaining timeouts, and only because Oakland decided to play conservatively to take more time of the clock. 20-26 with just 1:15 to play. It was over...
The Jets fought and lost a very tough game. I have to give them credit there. However, once again the initial game plan was not to lose, rather than to win. Once again the offense came out sleeping in the first half; and then in the second it was the defense that was totally absent. Just like the entire Jets team was nowhere to be seen during the first few weeks of this season. Pass-rush? Do the Jets have any kind of pass-rush? Don't be fooled by the four sacks recorded by the Jets in this game. At times Gannon had 8-10 seconds to look around and decide what he was going to do with the ball. All of these four sacks were coverage sacks, rather than pass-rush sacks. John Abraham.... Oh, don't get me started on this subject. He's the most overrated and overhyped player that the Jets have had in years! For his every good game he then has 3-4 bad ones. On almost every third down he gets easily manhandled by the opposing offensive lineman. They don't even need to double team him anymore. Just push him to the outside because he doesn't have the strength and constantly tries to outrun his opponent.
Once again Santana Moss got hurt and couldn't play. How many times have we seen this? Once again the running game got stuffed. The Jets invested so much money in Martin prior to this season, was it the right thing to do? Martin is clearly not the back he was a couple of years ago, he will be 30 years old next season and is definitely declining.
The season is not over just yet, but once again the Jets missed a golden opportunity to put themselves in the driver's seat. How many times have we seen this before? There are four games left to play. The Jets have a good chance at winning two of them, which means an 8-8 record and no playoffs. Three wins in these four games and a 9-7 record would be a big luck, but it would still most likely mean no playoffs. Four wins and a 10-6 record? Well, I rest my case...