3. Raiders get off to a slow start
The Oakland Raiders will have an early kickoff for Week 12, at 10:00 a.m. PT and 1:00 p.m. ET to be specific. Don’t be fooled, the early kick will have an impact, but the bigger question is how much.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
That said, the Raiders are playing a 3-7 Jets team who has one signature win to its credit in 2019 when they beat the Dallas Cowboys 24-22. Since, they have beaten the hapless Giants and Redskins, which just doesn’t say much.
As for the early kick, expect a slow start until Oakland finds that gear on offense. The first half will be close, maybe even find the Jets making a run at a third consecutive win. The fact that the Raiders are also historically bad on the East Coast won’t be overlooked.
Oakland is 6-25 when playing in that particular time zone over the last 10 years, and have lost a whopping five consecutive games to Gang Green.
If this were a different Jets team, and frankly if this were the Raiders of 2018, a loss would almost seem a lock. But slow start aside, Oakland should find its stride in the second half, making the early kickoff an afterthought by the final gun.