Oakland Raiders (6-4) at New York Jets (3-7)
Sunday, November 24, 1PM ET
What is wrong with me? For the second week in a row, I’m actually picking the Oakland Raiders to win. I know it’s against the lowly New York Jets, but it still seems so uncharacteristic of me. Then again, this 2019 NFL campaign has been full of twists and turns.
I will concede that the Raiders haven’t been as bad as I expected this season. While they do seem to beat the teams they shouldn’t and lose to the ones they should, they’ve seemed far more competent on the field than I imagined. They’re just never very convincing when it comes to playing like a playoff-caliber club.
Fortunately for them, they don’t have to be on Sunday. All they have to do is be an average team to defeat the Jets, who have hobbled their way to 3-7. Apart from an early-season surprise against the Dallas Cowboys, their two other wins have come against clubs with a combined record of 3-17. If it wasn’t for Sam Darnold and Jamal Adams, they’d probably be winless right now.
The Raiders will best them this week, keeping themselves within striking distance of the postseason. Derek Carr and Josh Jacobs will do work against the New York defense, and the Gang Green offense will flail around like it always does. The Jets move one step closer to kicking Adam Gase to the curb.
Prediction: Raiders win 27-10