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

Raiders finally find the end zone in the fourth quarter

Early on in the second half, it was abundantly clear that the defense was ready to play and had no fear in their hearts for Zach Wilson and the Jets offense. After some beautiful punts from the All-Pro A.J. Cole, the defense got off the field twice in some third and long situations. 

On offense, play caller Bo Hardegree made a clear effort to get Josh Jacobs the ball more often, and in more creative ways. Whether it was a toss, jet sweep, or a quick pass to the flat, the plan was clearly to get their best ball carrier in space. 

Finally, it worked when Jacobs took a well-blocked run up the middle for an explosive forty-yard run that gave Las Vegas all of the momentum before Michael Mayer made a miraculous catch for his first career touchdown. 

Overall the second half was a good display of creativity from the new play caller in his second game with the fake “tush push” where they handed it to return man DeAndre Carter on fourth down being the shining example.

Despite the touchdown from Mayer, the game fell in the hands of the defense to stop Wilson and the Jets' offense. Despite threatening with a little over a minute left, Robert Spillane, who is always around the football, made a huge interception. 

Still, New York would quickly get the ball back with just under a minute after a three-and-out from the Vegas offense. While there were a few big plays by the Jets offense, Maxx Crosby was able to apply the pressure to disrupt the Hail Mary attempt at the end and the Raiders improved to 5-5.

Going forward, the Raiders offense will need to finish more drives, especially with games against the Dolphins and Chiefs up next. Still, the creativity of Hardagree and overall poise from O'Connell against a good defense and without Kolton Miller was an encouraging sight for the members of Raider Nation.

Still firmly in the playoff race in the AFC, the new regime has gotten the team back to .500. If they can get a win over either Miami or Kansas City, it would go a long way towards them keeping the jobs long term and it's hard to believe many Raiders fans would abject.