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The New York Jets started the season 0-4 before a surprise win against the Dallas Cowboys. That was not the catalyst to a turnaround that many thought it might be though. They followed up that win with a three-game losing streak.
Not only was it three losses in a row, it was three humiliating losses in a row.
However, the Jets have finally found some footing. They have won two straight games (albeit against the New York Giants and Washington Redskins).
Now in Week 12 they face off with the Oakland Raiders, a team on a streak of its own. Oakland has won three in a row and is now 6-4, firmly in the playoff hunt.
So how do the Jets pull off the win? Here are four reasons New York could beat Oakland in Week 12.
Momentum
The Raiders have momentum, absolutely. But so do the Jets. This is the first time all year that they've had momentum, in fact.
While no one expected this team to be Super Bowl contenders in 2019, a lot of people expected more from the Jets. However, they have looked utterly lost for most of the year.
Now there's signs of life though. New York's offense is showing a little bit of life, and the defense has some serious pieces (we'll talk about that a little more later).
The Raiders are in a spot that a lot of people could have guessed at this point. Maybe they are a little better off than many thought, but a 6-4 record isn't all that crazy for them.
So it's the 3-7 record for the Jets that's the most surprising. Maybe it's not where they should be either. Maybe this talent simply hasn't played to the level they should have.
And just maybe they're starting to get on track. If that's the case, they could be righting the ship now. Rattling off a few more wins before the end of the season seems to be in the cards for the Jets.
Those wins could keep coming against the Raiders.
Trap Game
Speaking of momentum. The Raiders likely aren't going to be stupid about this. They know the Jets have a little momentum coming in their favor.
That being said, there is a way they could overlook them. Oakland has a tough schedule the rest of their way. Week 13 has a matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs. Outside of the Chiefs, they have two other matchups with AFC South division rivals. They also have games with the 4-6 Jacksonville Jaguars (that just got Nick Foles back recently) and the 5-5 Tennessee Titans.
So New York is by far the easiest game left on their schedule on paper.
Due to that, the Raiders might do something stupid. They might overlook the Jets a little bit, knowing they have a lot of daunting tasks ahead of them. If that happens, New York could take advantage.
Sam Darnold Turnaround
One of the biggest disappointments of the season for New York has been Sam Darnold. The quarterback looked great at the end of his rookie season. Due to that, many were expecting him to catch fire in his sophomore year.
Instead, he's played poorly and had injury problems (or illness problems with a bout of mono).
Darnold came into their Week 10 matchup with the New York Giants with just six touchdown passes compared to nine interceptions.
However, in Week 10 Darnold threw for 230 yards and a touchdown. More importantly he did not throw an interception. He also helped lead the Jets to their second win of the season.
Then in Week 11, the quarterback was the MVP. He threw for 293 yards against the Washington Redskins. He did throw one interception, but also set a new career-high with four touchdown passes.
Darnold may finally be finding his footing in 2019. He's starting to play how many thought he would. That's bad news for the Raiders.
Jamal Adams
The New York defense has had a lot of problems this year. However, the Jets have an absolute superstar, and he's playing better than ever in recent weeks.
Obviously, I'm talking about safety Jamal Adams.
Remember, he's a safety. I reiterate that because these are his last three games.
Against the Miami Dolphins, he had four tackles and one sack. Then he had nine tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles and one pass deflection against the Giants. Finally, Adams had four tackles and three sacks against the Redskins.
That's right, he's had six sacks in his last three games. Any pass rusher would kill for those numbers, and a safety's done it.
Adams is a bonafide stud. He's a hard-hitter, a run stopper, a pass rusher and a ball hawk. There's not much he can't do, and he's on top of his game now.
With this version of Adams playing at the moment, the Jets could win any game. That obviously includes Week 12 against the Raiders.
