Raiders defense makes ugly history as offense helps them survive Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, NJ – The Raiders earned something Sunday beyond a badly needed victory in their 38-33 win over the Jets.They earned the right to keep believing their season can amount to something.Nobody should confuse beating the Jets with solving the problems that created a four-game losing streak.The Raiders allowed far too many points against a bad offense and spent far too much time flirting with another damaging loss.Against this opponent, it should not have been so difficult.But this is a results business.And by finding a way to win, snapping their slide and getting back to 4-4, the Raiders bought themselves time.Time to address the defensive breakdowns.

Time to find more consistency on offense.Time to determine whether the team that opened the season with three consecutive victories can reappear.That matters with the 49ers and Seahawks looming.The Raiders now approach that stretch with their season still offering a reason to press forward.It also gives them room to assess their quarterback plans and trade-deadline approach without treating every decision as an emergency response to another defeat.The concerns remain legitimate.

So does the skepticism.But winning gives a team something losing never can: a chance to build on a result.Now comes the harder part.Some thoughts:Another bad day for the defenseThe Raiders are making history on defense.The kind nobody wants attached to their name.They have become the first NFL team to allow at least 30 points in five consecutive games since the Lions did it across the 2020 and 2021 seasons.The only other time the Raiders endured such a stretch was in 2004.That is the company they are keeping.And somehow, that does not fully capture how helpless they looked at times Sunday against the Jets while giving up 166 yards on the ground and 439 overall.New York scored on its first six possessions.

The only other time since 2000 the Raiders allowed an opponent to do that was their 52-0 loss to the Rams in Week 13 of the 2...