Las Vegas Raiders move to .500 with narrow victory over the New York Jets

Raiders go into halftime down 9-6 after a sluggish first half

In what was guaranteed to be a big test for the Las Vegas Raiders offense against an elite defense, the unit was not shy about their intentions of getting Davante Adams the ball. With multiple catches on the first drive, he finished the first quarter with more receiving yards than any of the last five games. 

Targeted on 11/18 of Aidan O’Connell’s passes, the rookie looked sharp when throwing the ball in his direction. However, the interception was likely his worst throw of the season and simply a mistake you can’t make. 

Furthermore, “AOC” took a brutal sack in the second quarter that knocked the offense out of field goal range. With starting left tackle Kolton Miller inactive, it seems the rookie's lack of pocket awareness and inability to navigate pressure have resurfaced. 

On the ground, Josh Jacobs had just 30 yards at the end of the half but needed to touch the ball more as the Raiders continued to abandon the run at puzzling times. 

Defensively, the unit once again looked solid in the first half despite not playing with the same level of energy as last week. Still, there were too many times when they made Zach Wilson look like a competent NFL quarterback. 

Overall, despite the loss of cornerback Amik Robertson, the defense was able to hold the Jets offense to a trio of field goals and went to the locker room down 9-6 at halftime.