Despite their current woes, the New York Jets still are in the race for a wild-card spot in the AFC. They can strengthen their chances with a victory over the visiting Oakland Raiders on Sunday. New York has received disappointing performances from rookie quarterback Geno Smith while losing three straight games since its bye week but still finds itself only one game behind Baltimore and Miami for the second wild card.
Oakland mathematically is still alive for the playoff spot but realistically is playing out the string. The Raiders have lost four of their last five contests, including a 31-24 defeat against Dallas on Nov. 28 in which it squandered a 14-point lead and was outscored 17-3 in the second half. Oakland has been unable to protect late leads this season, losing five games in which it held a second-half lead.
TV: 1 p.m. ET, CBS. LINE: Jets -2.5. O/U: 40.
ABOUT THE RAIDERS (4-8): Oakland would have been hard-pressed to be successful against New York's top-ranked run defense regardless of its backfield situation. Gaining yards figures to be even more difficult as Rashad Jennings (concussion), Darren McFadden (ankle) and Jeremy Stewart (ankle/knee) are questionable to play. Converted cornerback Taiwan Jones practiced with the first-team offense on Wednesday and may be the Raiders' best option at running back.
ABOUT THE JETS (5-7): Coach Rex Ryan elected to stay with Smith despite the fact he is the lowest-rated passer in the NFL. Smith leads the league with 19 interceptions and has gone five straight games without a touchdown pass. Despite his struggles, Smith needs only 188 passing yards to break the franchise rookie record of 2,444 set in 2009 by Mark Sanchez.
EXTRA POINTS
1. Oakland hasn't visited New York since Dec. 31, 2006, when the Jets rolled to a 23-3 victory.
2. The Jets have scored a total of 20 points during their losing streak and haven't produced a touchdown in their last two contests.
3. The Raiders play at MetLife Stadium for the second time in five weeks, as they dropped a 24-20 decision to the New York Giants on Nov. 10.
PREDICTION: Raiders 27, Jets 24