The Las Vegas Raiders completed their sweep of the Metlife Stadium roommates on Sunday night, beating the New York Jets in a dogfight, 16-12. It took until the fourth quarter for either team to find the end zone, and in the end, it was a rookie connection that got the job done, as Aidan O'Connell connected with Michael Mayer for the deciding score.
Here, we look at three things we learned in the 16-12 victory on Sunday night.
Raiders vs Jets 2023 Week 10: Things we learned
Aidan O'Connell will continue to go through growing pains
Since being thrust into the starting role after Josh McDaniels was fired on Halloween night, Aidan O'Connell has looked every bit the part of a starting NFL quarterback. Sure, he had some tough moments on Sunday night, but that is to be expected by a guy who was not drafted until Day 3 of the 2023 NFL Draft.
The truth is, the Jets have an elite defense, and they had done a nice job against some of the elite quarterbacks in the NFL this season, including Justin Herbert and Patrick Mahomes. O'Connell hung in all night long against the Jets, and in the end, it was his touchdown pass to Michael Mayer that ended up sealing the victory for the Silver and Black.
The Raiders defense has playmakers on all three levels for once
It has been a long time since the Raiders franchise has had the kind of defense they currently do, and it is helping in a big way when it comes to the win column. For the first time in what seems like forever, the Raiders have talented players on all three levels, displaying an outstanding pass rush, playmaking linebackers, and a secondary that seems to get better every week.
As the Raiders bring along a rookie quarterback, the play of the defense will be paramount, especially across the next two weeks. The Raiders play offensive juggernauts in the Miami Dolphins and Kansas City Chiefs before the bye week, so we will see over the next 14 days whether or not this Raiders defense is the real deal.
Josh Jacobs is starting to heat up
When Antonio Pierce took over as head coach he made it a point to talk about getting the ball into his elite players' hands. Those two players are Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs, and on Sunday night, they were the focal point of the offense, with Adams getting 13 targets, and Jacobs carrying it 27 times while also grabbing two receptions.
Jacobs finished the game with 116 yards on the ground, and has now racked up over 200 yards rushing in the two games since Pierce took over. He will be counted on in a big way against Miami and Kansas City, as the Raiders look to extend drives, and it seems he is starting to heat up at the right time for the Silver and Black.