Deuce: Are the playoffs a possibility for Raiders?

He and the Raiders will head to Pittsburgh to face the Steelers in Week 9.

Quarterback Derek Carr threw for 333 yards and a career-high-tying four touchdowns, leading the Oakland Raiders to a 34-20 victory against the New York Jets on Sunday at the O.co Coliseum.

It’s hard to believe this is the same team that lost ten games before their first win last season.

With that said, the Jets will likely look to bring in a veteran quarterback to back up Smith and round out the depth chart if Fitzpatrick is forced to miss an extended period of time. “When we watch the media, the TV guys, whatever, I want them to pick the Raiders”.

“I’m happy we got the win”, left tackle Donald Penn said. “We’re going to keep building on that”. According to coach Bowles, “It’s too early to tell” if Brandon will play next week, after a foot and ankle injury. Former starter Geno Smith threw for 265 yards and two TD passes in his first action since losing the job in training camp after getting punched in the locker room by teammate IK Enemkpali. The wide receiver caught the pass and was immediately tackled by two defenders in the red zone.

The group also paved the way for three sacks and NINE(!) tackles for loss. “We’ve been working on that”.

Three quarterbacks were drafted ahead of Carr in last year’s NFL Draft, but the Raiders’ signal caller has easily played the best of the four players.

This 2015 version of the Silver and Black is far from flawless but their impressive 34-20 win over the Jets proved that this team isn’t going to be easy to beat. He suffered ligament damage in Week 5, yet he started every game, led the Bengals to a division title and made the Pro Bowl. “That’s our No. 1 goal”. “We’ll continue to push for that”. “We’re developing guys, we’re getting more comfortable with one another, understanding what we’re looking for”.

“And that’s what we’ve been doing”. Grabbing a wild-card spot in the AFC is a more realistic goal, but it can’t hurt to dream about catching Denver.

Smith played the majority of Sunday’s game in relief of Fitzpatrick, with mixed results. Oakland scored on its first three possessions against the Jets. What’s the key to those fast starts? “We just have to play a lot smarter”. “There’s no superhuman anything”. That was a good defense we just played and it was a good challenge for us. “And this team has learned how to do that”. Whereas the Jets’ had allowed an average of 71.5 rushing yards per game heading into this contest, Murray alone ran for 113. Well, the National Football League trade deadline is at 4 p.m. EST Tuesday, though as Tom Pedulla of the New York Times reports, “General Manager Mike Maccagnan might have to overpay in such a deal, given the team’s need”. He had a passer rating of 30.9.

With Carr playing better than any quarterback for the Raiders since Rich Gannon was winning the MVP in 2002, Oakland has a core to build around with fellow youngsters like Mack, Amari Cooper, Latavius Murray, TJ Carrie, Gabe Jackson and Mario Edwards Jr.

Woodson had his fifth interception of the season and 65th of his career, moving him into a tie for fifth place on the NFL’s all-time list with Ken Riley.