If you like a lot of offense, Sunday night’s matchup between the Raiders and Jets may not be for you. The matchup features the Jets’ top 10 defense and 31st ranked offense versus the Raiders middle-of-the-road defense and 29th ranked offense.
Both teams also have defensive head coaches. The Raiders under interim head coach Antonio Pierce and the Jets under Robert Saleh.
That’s just the way Pierce likes it.
“It’s always good, a defensive coach,” Pierce said this week when prepping to face Saleh and the Jets. “You kind of know what kind of game is going to be. It ain’t going to be a shootout, I can tell you that.”
Both teams are also not playing the quarterback to started the season for them.
The Raiders struggled to score even 20 points with Jimmy Garoppolo at quarterback while the Jets lost Aaron Rodgers four plays into the season. Garoppolo was replaced by rookie fourth round pick Aidan O’Connell while Zach Wilson got his job back for the Jets.
Though the Jets do have stars on offense like RB Breece Hall and WR Garrett Wilson, their biggest stars are on defense in CB Sauce Gardner and DT Quinnen Williams.
Likewise the Raiders stars Davante Adams and Josh Jacobs have not done nearly the damage on offense this season as Maxx Crosby has from the defensive end spot. He leads the league in several categories and has basically willed the Raiders to each of their four wins this season. Making him a bonafide candidate to win Defensive Player of the Year. honors.
Add that both teams are having injury issues at the offensive tackle spot and both teams could be looking to go with the ground and pound. Making for the likelihood of a lot of field goals and a low scoring affair.
