Raiders buy themselves time and a reason to keep believing

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J.– The Raiders did not fix everything Sunday.They did something more immediately useful.They bought themselves the right to keep trying.By beating the Jets, snapping a four-game losing streak and getting back to .500, the Raiders reset the conversation around their season.

At 4-4, they can legitimately talk about being in the hunt.They can keep playing Kirk Cousins with a purpose beyond postponing Fernando Mendoza’s arrival.

They can consider whether the trade deadline presents an opportunity to add help.For another week, staying the course has some credibility.That was hardly guaranteed when they walked into the locker room at halftime after allowing the Jets to run for 140 yards.At that point, the Raiders looked like a team running out of explanations.Getting pushed around had become a weekly occurrence, and now the Jets were taking their turn.Something had to change.“At halftime, our guys were not happy,” Raiders coach Klint Kubiak said.

“We made some adjustments and the guys just played harder.”Sometimes, the most consequential adjustment is an honest, angry assessment of what is happening.The Raiders had plenty to be angry about.But they followed that frustration with a response, limiting the Jets to 27 rushing yards after halftime and giving their offense a chance to finish the job.“We got an interception and we forced them into two punts,” Kubiak said.

“I mean, it’s a four-quarter game.”For a team that had spent a month finding ways to lose, finding its footing before it was too late was the key.Maxx Crosby described it as taking a stand.“It really comes down to winning your one-on-ones and outworking the man in front of you,” Crosby said.“And that’s what I felt like we did.”The difference was noticeable.“We came out with an attitude in the second half,” Crosby said, “and I feel like we played a lot better collectively.”Nobody should confuse that response with a permanent solution.The Jets still...