Jets stunned by the Raiders
The New York Jets were mere seconds away from picking up their first win of the 2020 season, until a last minute Hail Mary ended their hopes. Las Vegas quarterback Derek Carr threw a perfect 46-yard pass to Henry Ruggs III with five seconds left on the clock to give the Raiders the 31-28 victory.
While anything can happen in professional sports, New York Jets players were left frustrated at the called blitz for the play. Rookie cornerback Lamar Jackson found himself in man-to-man coverage with Ruggs III in a battle he never should have been facing alone.
“I just felt like he could’ve been in a better call in that situation,” said Jets’ safety Marcus Maye following the contest, via TSN. “We just played the call that the coaches called. We’ve got to execute, but you’ve got to help us out at the same time and be in a better call at that spot.
“I just felt like just different situations could’ve played out better,” Maye continued. “That’s it.”
He was far from the only Jets player in disbelief following the loss. “We should’ve won,” said Jets quarterback Sam Darnold.
It wasn’t the first time the Jets had a victory snatched away from this season at the last minute, but this has to be the toughest loss of the season thus far. They now sit at 0-12 and have just four games left in the campaign to try and earn a win. They could be just the third NFL team in history to go 0-16 during a season, with the Detroit Lions in 2008 and the Cleveland Browns in 2017 also going 0-16.
The game was closer than the Raiders would have liked, but they will be happy to improve their record to 7-5 as they continue their pursuit of a playoff spot. “I couldn’t believe they all-out blitzed us,” Carr said after the game. “As soon as I saw it, I was thankful.”
Unlike Maye though, Jets linebacker Jordan Jenkins placed the blame on the defence, suggesting it is the players who are on the field that determine the outcome of games. “It’s on us as players,” Jenkins said, via TSN. “We’re the ones that are out there. We’ve got to make plays. We’ve just got to be better and finish that.
“It definitely stings,” Jenkins said. “It stings pretty bad. It just hurts. That’s all I can say. It hurts.”
Things don’t get any easier for New York either, with a trip to Seattle to take on the Seahawks coming up next Sunday. In fact, the Jets’ final four games of the season do not include a single contest against a team with a losing record.
The Raiders on the other hand, get set for a crucial affair against the Indianapolis Colts next weekend. They have an easier schedule down the stretch than the Jets’ do with games against the Los Angeles Chargers and Denver Broncos on the horizon, but need to continue winning games if they have any chance of reaching the playoffs.
