What players and coaches are saying ahead of Raiders versus Jets in Week 12

With the Houston Texans victory over the Indianapolis Colts on Thursday Night Football, the Raiders find themselves back in the playoff picture as the sixth seed in the AFC. A win on Sunday over the Jets would do wonders for the Raiders playoff hopes.

Not only would they be in a tie with the Chiefs for the AFC west division title at 7-4, but they would also have a one game lead over the Colts and hold the tie-breaker over them.

It won’t be an easy week. The Jets are coming off consecutive wins and are really playing well. And the long cross country trip and early start time can be tricky. The Raiders are 1-3 on the road this season, making his is pivotal week.

Let’s hear what players and coaches from both teams are saying:

Raiders

Head coach Jon Gruden on the Jets run defense:

“It’s a very aggressive defense and they have a lot of good players, we’ll start there. They all can run, they all can hit, and they can all tackle. And they have a very aggressive scheme. They’re not afraid to load the box like the Bear defense, that’s Gregg Williams style. They cheat their corners in run support and they’ll tackle you. And you have to give Jamal Adams his props. He is really something.”

Offensive coordinator Greg Olson on Derek Carr’s success this season:

“He is now in his sixth year and we always talk about the comfort within the system, with Jon’s system. I think a lot of times guys look at that and say that’s just coach speak, but in this case I really believe that’s part of it. I think he’s very comfortable as a quarterback right now in this system. He’s got some good pieces around him and I think that’s another piece that people overlook, is that we do have some good pieces around Derek Carr. We feel real good about our offensive line. We’ve talked about Josh Jacobs running the ball really well. We’ve got some receivers that have made some noise. So, I think it’s a combination of a number of things. But when you look at Derek Carr, there are a lot of qualities that set him apart from other quarterbacks we feel, but his preparation is really second to none.”

Jets

Head coach Adam Gase on the Raiders rushing attack:

“Yeah, this is probably going to be one of the better ones we face all year. Tough back to bring down, big O-line, they’ve got some guys that have done it for a while. I know one of those guys that’s done it for a really long time and it’s amazing that he’s still playing at a high level. These guys get on you and they kinda engulf you, they push you off the ball and then you have a back that’s running extremely hard, hard to bring down. He’s making people miss left and right.”

Running back Le’veon Bell on the match up with the Raiders:

“Yes, just for the simple fact that it’s the next one and we’ve been getting a little momentum going. We’ve got two in a row. The Raiders are a good team, real good up front. Jon Gruden is a great coach. He’s going to find ways to put his players in great positions to make plays. So, this is definitely a big one and we gotta’ make sure we go out there and grab. It’s going to be a tough challenge, but we’re at home and we’ve got the fans behind us.”