Oakland Raiders: Convincing win vs. Jets a must
While the Oakland Raiders are riding high on a three-game win streak, they have to play drastically better than they did last week against the Jets.
One can make an argument that the Oakland Raiders are quietly one of the hottest teams in the NFL. On the heels of three straight victories since returning home from a brutal road stretch, the team finds themselves facing a less than stellar New York Jets team in Week 12.
Many assume that the red hot Raiders should win this game easily and go into Arrowhead in a showdown with the Kansas City Chiefs, who sit at a shocking 7-4, the following week. The team itself can not assume that.
Lost in all the mania is the fact that the Raiders squeaked by the winless Cincinnati Bengals last week, 17-10. That simply will not cut it moving forward. Sure, the Raiders mantra has always been “Just Win Baby”, thanks to the late Al Davis, but the team needs to actually care about how they win in their game against the Jets.
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If the Raiders come out as flat as the Bengals game, they could fall victim to the dreaded “trap” game. The Jets are coming off a win against their city rivals New York Giants and haven’t exactly rolled over despite their 3-7 record.
The young Raiders need to come out motivated and hungry, and ultimately come out of Metlife — in the Raiders’ first road game in about a month — with a strong and convincing victory. Luckily, a veteran coach like Jon Gruden should have the young team ready and shouldn’t let a repeat performance of the Bengals game slide.
Oakland needs all the momentum they can get heading into Kansas City because the Chiefs themselves suddenly find themselves playing below their potential. A convincing win against the Jets rolling into Arrowhead can lead to the Raiders earning an upset win in Kansas City, giving them control of the AFC West.
If the Raiders can be one of the teams that peaks and gets hot at the right time, the sky is the limit.
Next. 20 Bold predictions for NFL Week 12. dark
What better way to close out the Raiders second tenure in Oakland than to unexpectedly host a playoff game? However, before we start thinking ahead, the Raiders need to put last week behind them and keep their foot on the gas and win — and win convincingly. It’s all part of the commitment to excellence.