Three good things we saw
1. Jets respond:
Down 7-0 early in the game, it would have been easy for the Jets to bury their heads in the sand and say this wasn’t their day. But the offense responded on their second drive of the game with LaDainian Tomlinson turning a simple swing pass into a 74-yard gain.
2. Plax is back:
One week after being shut out of the Jacksonville win with no catches, Plaxico Burress rebounded with a solid outing. All told, Burress had three catches for 55 yards and a touchdown. He was force fed the ball on the opening play of the first series to erase the memories of last week’s goose egg. His size was a hassle for the Raiders all afternoon, including creating a holding penalty in the third quarter.
3. A little help:
It was a horrendous game for the Jets — the kind of loss that won’t go away easily. But softening the blow is the inability of the rest of the division to win. Buffalo beat New England, elevating the Bills to 3-0 and dropping the two-time defending AFC East holders to 2-1. No one expects the Bills to stay above water much longer, so the Jets chose a good week to have a dud.
Three bad things we saw
1. Opening drive woes:
The Raiders came out strong with a five-play, 76-yard drive. The series was lifted by an Antonio Cromartie pass interference on a pass intended for rookie Denarius Moore, gifting the Raiders 25 yards.
2. Afternoon to forget:
One week after he made big plays on defense and special teams in a win over Jacksonville, Cromartie had an afternoon to forget. Gone was the form that led to two interceptions, instead replaced by a player who had four penalties and went to the locker room in the fourth quarter with a rib injury.
3. Run for your lives:
It was a disappointing effort from the Jets defense in stopping the Oakland ground game. The three-man front was consistently pushed around, allowing the Raiders’ running backs to quickly reach the second level. The 234 yards was the largest ground gain conceded under head coach Rex Ryan.
