Bruce Irvin may go off in Week 2 vs. New York Jets

After a rough performance versus the Tennessee Titans 1, look for Oakland Raiders outside linebacker Bruce Irvin to go off against the New York Jets.

To so the surprise of many, the Oakland Raiders put together a sound defensive game plan against the Tennessee Titans. By containing the run, Oakland was able to come out of Nashville with a 10-point road victory over Tennessee.

A handful of players graded very well for Oakland in the eyes of Pro Football Focus. Defensive linemen Justin Ellis and Eddie Vanderdoes were key in the win with their strong performances. Khalil Mack was the best player on the field in Nashville in Week 1. Even the Oakland secondary had players that played very well including T.J. Carrie, Reggie Nelson and Sean Smith.

However, one Raider had a frustrating Week 1 in Nashville on the Raiders defense. Outside linebacker Bruce Irvin mustered a terrible 37.2 PFF grade from Week 1. Only Tyrell Adams was worse on Sunday against Tennessee.

That being said, Week 2 is shaping up to be a game where Irvin can right the ship with a great performance against the New York Jets. He had a tough task of having to deal with elite Titans tackles in Taylor Lewan and Jack Conklin last Sunday. Those are two Pro Bowl level players Tennessee has.

You can purchase either the PFF Edge or PFF Elite packages at Pro Football Focus for all your Raiders and fantasy football needs.

In Week 2 against the Jets, Irvin will get to compete against the porous offensive line of New York. Their two tackles in Kelvin Beachum and Brandon Shell are a far cry from what Irving had to go against in Nashville. Beachum received a 47.0 grade in the Jets’ Week 1 loss to the Buffalo Bills up in Orchard Park. Shell graded the best of the bad Jets offensive line at 67.2.

More from Just Blog Baby

Add in that the Jets do not have a mobile quarterback at all in journeyman Josh McCown. When Oakland played Tennessee, the Raiders had to account for Titans quarterback Marcus Mariota‘s mobility. Even if he did break his leg last Christmas Eve, Mariota was still able to find pay dirt with his legs against the Oakland defense in the first quarter.

McCown is not the scrambling type. With two strong pass rushers in Mack and Irvin coming off the edge, McCown could be in for a rough afternoon at the Coliseum. Mack proved once again he can dominate against strong offensive linemen. He may breeze by Beachum and Shell on the edge for a huge day.

Since the Jets will try their best to mitigate Mack on Sunday, that will leave more opportunities for Irvin to generate pressure. If Irvin plans to have multiple multi-sack games this year, Sunday versus the Jets would be a great starting point.

Next: Oakland Raiders: 5 keys to victory vs. Jets

Expect the strong Oakland pass rush to live in New York’s backfield all afternoon. It may not be just Irvin who has a big day. However, he certainly needs one after struggling against the Titans last week.

Home/Las Vegas Raiders News