Both the New York Jets and the Oakland Raiders already had a crack at the kings of their respective divisions, and both missed their chance to contend for the top spot. But both the Jets and the Raiders are still in the hunt for the postseason, and a Week 8 matchup of the two teams could significantly influence the race for an AFC Wild Card spot.
Jets vs. Raiders 2015 live stream: Game time, TV schedule and how to watch online
The Raiders have had up-and-down showings, but Derek Carr has a tough task ahead of him with the talented Jets defense coming to Oakland.
The Jets have only two losses, but are well behind the 7-0 New England Patriots. However, the only other team in the AFC with a winning record that isn't leading their division is the 4-3 Pittsburgh Steelers, so the Jets are still in great shape if they can continue to play the elite defense that got the team in position to threaten for the AFC East lead.
Oakland hasn’t been as consistently good as the Jets, but have had offensive explosions that makes it a dangerous opponent for any team. In three wins, the Raiders have managed at least 400 yards of offense and at least 27 points, but in three losses, the team has been held under 300 yards and scored no more than 20 points.
Leading the team in its inconsistent ways is second-year quarterback Derek Carr. He has an average of 318 passing yards in the team's three wins and just 168.7 yards in the three losses, although he was hurt and left early in Week 1. His performance in Week 7 was one of the most efficient of his career when he went 24-of-31 passing against the San Diego Chargers for 289 yards with three touchdowns and no interceptions.
Nobody has been able to find that kind of efficiency against the Jets, though. The Patriots are the only team to eclipse 250 passing yards against the team and even Tom Brady didn't find the end zone until he led a fourth quarterback comeback. Still, it was the only game this season for Brady with a passer rating under 100 and a talented defensive line is very capable of wreaking havoc for Carr.
Leading the way for the Jets defensive line is Sheldon Richardson, a Pro Bowler in 2014 and the Defensive Rookie of the Year in 2013, who already has 1.5 sacks in two games back from suspension.
The question for the Jets in 2015 has been whether it can establish a running presence. In two losses, the Jets averaged 68 yards rushing, while they bulldozed ahead for 170.8 yards in four wins, led by Chris Ivory. He is one of three running backs in the NFL, along with Todd Gurley and Le'Veon Bell, who are averaging more than 100 rushing yards per game, although he managed just 41 yards against the Patriots in Week 7.
Oakland is No. 32 against the pass and No. 3 against the run, so if the Raiders are able to keep Ivory in check, the onus will be on Ryan Fitzpatrick to avoid mistakes and lead the Jets down the field. While he has been good enough for the Jets to keep earning wins, he has also been somewhat mistake-prone, with seven interceptions and two fumbles in six games, including three picks in a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles.
How to watch
When: 1 p.m. ET
Where: O.co Coliseum, Oakland, Calif.
Network: CBS
Announcers: Kevin Harlan, Rich Gannon, Alex Flanagan
Online: NFL Game Pass
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