Playing in front of the home crowd
Getting a big win at Nissan Stadium in Nashville was not easy. Folks in Central Tennessee have been rabid about their sports teams for about a year now. Not only are the Titans on the verge of getting back into the NFL playoffs, but the NHL’s Nashville Predators made it all the way to the Stanley Cup.
Being able to quiet the Nissan Stadium crowd with strong in-game execution was huge for the Raiders. If Oakland can’t get it done against a lesser team at home in the New York Jets on Sunday, something’s wrong.
Expect the Coliseum to be so loud on Sunday. It may only be the Jets, but this is still Raider football and this looks to be one of the best teams in the AFC this year. All the Raiders need to do is get a big run out of Lynch, a sweet touchdown pass from Carr or a powerful sack by Khalil Mack to set this crowd into a frenzy.
The home factor is probably the biggest reason that this game could be a rout heavily in the Raiders favor. Oakland doesn’t want to keep the Jets in the game. The quicker the home crowd can take Gang Green out of their rhythm, the better. Here’s to getting to 2-0!