Ladies and Gentleman – the Jets are good again. The news of Sam Darnold taking control of the offense is encouraging. Darnold apparently told Gase after the Jaguars game that his scheme is trash and that Darnold could do a better job himself. After two consecutive wins scoring 34 points, Darnold has the Jets on the right track. Today is Star Wars day at the stadium and although I know absolutely nothing about the Star Wars films we can say that Darnold has evolved into Han Solo or whoever is the main guy in the movie.
The Jets play the Raiders this week, coming into the game as a +3 point underdog. The Raiders had fairly low expectations coming into the year and have largely outperformed behind a strong running attack. I like the way the Raiders play. Running the ball and playing field position, although antiquated in the modern NFL, will always resonate with me. The Raiders opponents average starting field position is its own 25.7 yard line, fourth best in the league. The Jets will likely have to put together lengthy drives today to score TDs. The Raiders want to control the clock with the run game and pin the opponent deep. The Jets defense this year has been quite capable against the run. If the Jets can stop the run effectively with a seven man front, which the defense has proven to be capable of doing, the Raiders will struggle to move the ball. This will be a true test of how much progress has been made. The wins over the Giants and Skins will appear hollow with a dud today.
It’s a rainy day at MetLife today, with the Raiders playing a 10am body clock game. The Jets are playing for the right to appear on the “In the Hunt” graphic during the final five weeks, the greatest motivation of all. To paraphrase a good friend of the blog Axl Rose,
“it’s hard to establish the run game,
In the cold November rain”
Take the Jets +3
Big Dogs Betting 