‘It’s not always going to be pretty’: Raiders manage margins to take down Jets

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins called the dance Sunday afternoon his “Wellness Celebration,” unsheathing it opposite the New York Jets in a 38-33 victory.

After sneaking his way to a 1-yard touchdown, he stopped his saunter toward the Raiders sideline, bent his knees, flexed his arms and ripped his left elbow back and forth.

Said Cousins postgame, grinning the grin that he hadn’t flashed since Sept. 27: “We do a lot of tissue work here and at my age, it’s especially helpful. … That’s one of the main techniques that they do, so I said someday if I run a touchdown in, I’m going to give a shoutout to all the staff that work so hard to help us feel good and be one of the healthier teams in the league.”

Celebration aside, wouldn’t have known he’s 38 at MetLife Stadium.

Cousins helped the Raiders snap their four-game losing streak, completing 19 of 26 passes for 247 yards and three touchdowns with his scoring run. His passer rating of 141 was required to overcome a nine-point halftime deficit and bail out the defense the rebuilding Jets ran roughshod over.

Until they didn’t.

Though New York accounted for 439 yards — with a 276-97 halftime edge — and 166 rushing on 6.1 yards per carry, Las Vegas closed by forcing two punts, a field goal and a turnover. Former Raiders quarterback Geno Smith threw for 290 yards and first-half scores to wideouts Adonai Mitchell (seven receptions for 142 yards) and Isaiah Williams, but his final throw was intercepted in the end zone by safety Jeremy Chinn.

“Our players were resilient. Played four quarters of football,” Las Vegas coach Klint Kubiak said. “It wasn’t all pretty but it’s not always going to be pretty. Just finding a way to win.”

Here’s why the Raiders (4-4) beat the Jets (2-6):

Managing the margins: Situational execution, favorable field position, takeaways and ball security powered the 3-0 start for the Raiders, losers of their previous four games in part because of a lack thereof.

Not against the Jets, however.

A balanced offense — featuring 33 rushes and 27 dropbacks — helped Las Vegas stay on schedule with downs and distances, making third downs far more manageable en route to 7 of 11 conversions. Outpossessed almost double in the first half, the Raiders flipped the script in the second with lengthy, meticulous scoring drives that kept the Jets and their offense at bay.

Running back Dylan Laube had a 95-yard kick return touchdown, subsequently drawing a pair of touchbacks to start Las Vegas on its 35-yard line. Las Vegas didn’t commit a turnover and turned four red-zone possessions into touchdowns while winning the second half 24-10.

“Again, a team win,” Cousins said. “Special teams, defense got some big stops and we made enough plays in the run game, pass game to come away with a win.”

Second-half stops: With gaping holes at the line of scrimmage and space to sprint through the secondary, the Jets were unstoppable in the first half.

They turned their five first-half possessions into three touchdowns and two field goals, converting their first second-half possession into three plays, 58 yards and another touchdown.

Their next four possessions totaled 96 yards.

On the first of which, a first-down hold preceded a sack by defensive tackle Tim Keenan III, setting up second-and-forever, seemingly. On the second such possession, a second-down run stuff (by linebacker Nakobe Dean and cornerback Eric Stokes) led to a false start on third-and-5 and Smith threw incomplete on third down.

The third possession, powered by a 47-yard completion from Smith to Mitchell, ended in the red zone after first-and-10 from the 13-yard line. A first-down run was stuffed by linebacker Tommy Eichenberg and Smith threw incomplete on second and third downs. The Jets made a 31-yard field goal, but the Raiders ate up 4:04 and followed with a field goal.

Then came Smith’s last-minute interception.

“Halftime … our guys were not happy and we made some adjustments,” Kubiak said. “And the guys just played harder. … It’s a four-quarter game. We talked about that last night. And our guys kept battling.”

Jalen Nailor gets on the board: Tight ends Brock Bowers (seven receptions for 92 yards and two touchdowns) and Michael Mayer (five receptions for 53 yards) are focal points in the Raiders passing offense, along with wide receiver Tre Tucker, held Sunday without a catch.

But fellow wideout Jalen Nailor, a high-priced free-agent acquisition, provided some support on the perimeter Sunday with his most productive outing with the Raiders.

Plus, the go-ahead score with 11:33 to play.

Beginning play Sunday with eight receptions for 75 yards through six games with Las Vegas, Nailor had four receptions for 38 yards and a 2-yard score. He caught an in-breaker on the opening drive to set up third-and-2 the Raiders converted, adding two more third-down conversions before breaking free in the end zone for six.

“I’ve been waiting on that moment to come. And it finally came,” Nailor said. “I’m just proud of the way the team battled today. It was a little up and down at the beginning but we just found a way to win.”

And Nailor found a way to score.

Added Cousins, affirming Nailor is winning regularly against man coverage: “I kept telling him, even this week, I said, ‘Hey, we’ve really underutilized you so far. … That’s not on you. You’re separating. You’re putting on tape that we need to give you more options.’ He’s got game, and I believe in him.”

Contact Sam Gordon at [email protected]. Follow @BySamGordon on X.