Betfair.net

Remember when the Jets were 3-0 to start the season and rookie quarterback Mark Sanchez was the toast of New York? It really wasn't that long ago, but you'd be hard pressed to find anybody in New York who remembers that, since the Jets have dropped three straight games and Sanchez has looked very much like a rookie quarterback since.

On Sunday, they head to Oakland for what many believe should be an easy win. The Raiders are 2-4 and haven't looked very impressive this year, save for last week when they did the improbable by visiting Philadelphia and shockingly defeating the Eagles on their home turf. It certainly wasn't a pretty win, but a road win is a road win and the Raiders will be looking to build momentum from that victory.

Nobody in their right mind backed the Raiders last week (props if you did) and they will once again find themselves heavy underdogs heading into this contest. The Jets this week have made it clear that Sanchez is still their guy calling the shots, but there's no question he has struggled. Last week against Buffalo, Sanchez finished the day with a paltry 8.3 QB rating as he was only 10 for 29 in completion attempts with 5 interceptions. That overtime loss was about as ugly as it gets in the NFL.

On the year, Sanchez has thrown 5 touchdown passes compared to 10 INTs. Worse for the Jets is the loss of Kris Jenkins, who tore his ACL and is out for this contest and was a huge part of their defensive team at tackle. He was the integral part of their defense and will be missed in this game. That will put a lot less pressure on JaMarcus Russell and the Raider offense. Still, the Jets can rely on running back Thomas Jones who ran for 210 rush yards last week.

The last time Jones met the Raiders he ran for 159 yards. The question is can the Raiders offense generate enough chances to get the win in this game? Russell only has two touchdown passes this year compared to 6 interceptions. He certainly has not been consistent this year. He threw for 203 yards the last time he faced the Jets with one touchdown pass.

The Jets are in the bottom half when it comes to allowing rush per games, and the loss of Jenkins will make them even more vulnerable. The bottom line in this game is that the Jets are more exposed then ever while the Raiders have the momentum of coming off that huge win in Philly. I'm willing to back the Raiders at [3.5] since the Jets are not the same team we saw a few weeks ago.