The Las Vegas Raiders suffered their most embarrassing loss of the season in Week 12, traveling to take on a three-win Atlanta Falcons team and getting beat 43-6 to fall to 6-5 on the year.
The Raiders are traveling East again in Week 13 as they look to get back on track, this time taking on a winless New York Jets team that doesn’t have much going for them this season.
Unfortunately for the Raiders, they will be without two key contributors in running back Josh Jacobs and safety Johnathan Abram, who will both miss the game due to injury. Jon Gruden was hopeful all week that both would be able to play although that never came to fruition with neither traveling with the team to New York.
Replacing a player of Jacobs’ caliber is never easy, but Devontae Booker will likely get most of the workload in the backfield as he looks to continue his solid first season with the Raiders. Booker has rushed for 326 yards and three touchdowns while rushing for 5.5 yards per carry as Jacobs’ primary backup in 2020.
While it won’t be easy playing without Jacobs and Abram, the Raiders’ defensive line will be bolstered by the return of Clelin Ferrell, who missed the last two games while on the Reserve/COVID-19 list.
Jets quarterback Sam Darnold has proven to struggle while under pressure this year, so hopefully Ferrell, Maxx Crosby and the rest of the Raiders’ front seven can get to him to help out the offense. The Raiders’ defensive line will also be welcoming Vic Beasley, who was elevated from the practice squad and will make his team debut after signing as a free agent a couple of weeks ago.
Darnold does have his full set of weapons healthy with Denzel Mims, Jamison Crowder and Breshad Perriman, so if the Raiders take this game lightly then New York has the capability to pull off the upset.
This game is extra personal for the Raiders as although the Jets have not won a game this season, they did beat Las Vegas in embarrassing fashion at Metlife Stadium last season. Because of that, Derek Carr made it clear this week that his team is looking to get some revenge.
If the Raiders want any hope at one of the few Wild Card spots in the AFC, then this is really a game they need to win to get things going back in the right direction before some more challenging games to finish out the regular season.
