RAIDERS FALL TO JETS 37-27

Vs.

By Scary Barry Rodriguez


December 9, 2013



Metlife stadium , East Rutherford, NJ - The Oakland Raiders were the tonic that ailing offense of the New York Jets needed. Against the normally stout Oakland defense , rookie quarterback Gino Smith had a standout game. It didn't take long for the Jets to set the tone for the game against the Raiders who are game playing  in a talent evaluation mode.

Gino Smith

Nick Folk

Kevin Burnett

 

Jeremy Kerley

In the first quarter the Jet defense kept the Raiders off the scoreboard while their offense got going early. Gino Smith managed to direct his offense into a position to facilitate a 41 yard Nick Folk field goal and then passed to Jeremy Kerley for a touchdown from 25 yards out. A ten point quarter for the Jets. The Raiders had no answer. Even an interception by Kevin Burnett didn't slow New York down.

Sebastian Janikowski

Marquette King

Antonio Allen

In the second quarter Nick Folk booted another field goal from 23 yards out. Then the Jet special teams unit blocked a punt by Marquette King and Antonio Allen took it right in on the same play for a touchdown. Another ten point quarter while the Raiders could only score on a Sebastian Janikowski field goal from 41 yards out . Three points by the Oakland offense to show for the first half.  The Jets had a 20-3 lead at the end of the first half.

Marcel Reese

Rashad Jennings

Rod Streater

Matt McGloin

Darren McFadden

In the second half the Oakland offense came to life . Unfortunately the Raider defense couldn't keep the Jet offense down. Gino Smith directed his team on a drive and then ran it in from 8 yards out for a touchdown. Marcel Reese playing for the injured Raider running backs Rashad Jennings and Darren McFadden , burst through the Jet's defensive line for a 63 yard scoring run in the third quarter and Rod Streater took in a 48 yard pass from Matt McGloin for another touchdown. Nick Folk booted a 51 yard field goal. Again the Jets had a ten point quarter. Even though Oakland had scored 14 points they still hadn't surged ahead.

Mychal Rivera

Chris Ivory

The fourth quarter was another good one for the Raider offense but it wasn't enough . Janikowski booted a 41 yard field goal and Mychal Rivera took in a 1 yard pass from McGloin for another Oakland touchdown. The Jets scored again on a 15 yard Chris Ivory touchdown run. The Raiders scored ten points in the quarter but they couldn't overcome the half time deficit !

In the first quarter of the game the Raider's coaching staff inserted Terrelle Pryor in the game for one offensive series. Then as quickly as he appeared Matt McGloin replaced him under center. It was a curious move. It was like maybe Pryor would be the match that set the offense instantly on fire ! McGloin played a decent game going 18/31 for 245 yards and two touchdowns. He had one interception in a game where the Jet offense had their way against the Raider defense.

Payton Manning

Dennis Allen

Antonio Holmes

Charles Woodson

The final score 37-27 didn't reflect domination on the part of the New York Jets. The Raider offense played well enough to win but the defense took the day off. The statistics for both teams were almost the same. In fact , Oakland had more total yards than the Jets even though they were outscored. The much criticized Gino Smith threw for one touchdown and ran in for another. 


The Raiders offense featured some standout performances. Marcel Reese ran 19 times for 123 yards , including a 63 yard touchdown run. Rod Streater caught 7 balls for 130 yards and one touchdown. Antonio Holmes and Mychal Rivera added to the mix in a minor way. The pieces are there to succeed . In a post game locker room interview Charles Woodson speaking for the Raider defense stated that " we pissed on our own leg " ! Its not the most eloquent way to put it . Yet it was an accurate statement. 

So the grand talent evaluation continues on ! Next up the Oakland Raiders play the Kansas City Chiefs at home. Than its on to San Diego with a home finish against the Payton Manning directed Denver Broncos on December 29th. Everything will be up for grabs next season. The Dennis Allen head coach experiment may also be over. One never knows about the NFL coaching carousel ! Most likely Matt McGloin is just a place holder for the season. Terrelle Pryor might be a victim of the next NFL draft. The Raider foot soldiers carry on , one foot in front of the other until the season's end !
  

This article is dedicated to the battle weary NFL veterans from other teams that make up the 2013 version of the Oakland Raiders. Most likely all of them will move on in 2014 . The football version of " The Dirty Dozen " unknown soldiers on a pro football suicide mission ! Let it be said afterwards that they did their duty !

BarryRodriguez (c) 2013.  All Rights Reserved.

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