4 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders will beat the New York Jets in Week 13
4 reasons the Las Vegas Raiders will beat the New York Jets in Week 13
Jets can’t protect the quarterback no matter who it is
The Jets are among the worst teams in the NFL at keeping defenders off of their quarterback, no matter who is lined up under center. Sam Darnold presents more challenges to defenses because of his escapability but he is still a young quarterback who is prone to making mistakes.
Joe Flacco, on the other hand, may not be fooled as easily by opposing defenses but is as statuesque as they come at the position. With both of those guys under center, the Jets have given up the fifth-most sacks in the NFL and are at the bottom of the league in terms of time in the pocket.
They also have given up the fifth most quarterback hits and are allowing pressure on a league-high 28.4% of their dropbacks.
The Raiders are still struggling to sack the quarterback but they are still getting pressure and did so with a sack and eight quarterback hits against Matt Ryan in Week 12. They had a few other opportunities for sacks but Ryan slipped out of their grasp at the last instance but that should not be a problem if Flacco is the starter on Sunday.
Regardless of who is playing quarterback for the Jets, this is a game where the Raiders’ pass rush can come through and make a difference just like they did in their other wins this season. The Raiders may still be near the bottom of the NFL in sacks after this week but they have a chance to pad their stats a little in this matchup.