OAKLAND – To open his Wednesday press conference, Eric Mangini stood before reporters and rattled off a lengthy and detailed assessment of the Raiders, whom his Jets play today at McAfee Coliseum.
MATCHUP: JETS-RAIDERS (PHOTOS)
When he was done praising everything about the Raiders, it made you reach for the newspaper and double-check the NFL standings to see if you read the Raiders’ 1-4 record incorrectly, that they are actually 4-1.
Indeed, for the second consecutive week and second in a string of three games the Jets are in against so-called lesser opponents, Mangini has been faced with doing everything he can to keep his players from being overconfident against a struggling foe.
They survived the hapless Bengals last week, winning 26-14 at Giants Stadium.
Today, they face the most dysfunctional franchise in the NFL, one that’s on its fifth head coach in five seasons and is known more for its kooky owner, Al Davis, than for the talent that does exist on its roster.
“Very dangerous,” is how RT Damien Woody described the Raiders.
“You have to go in there and be humble,” LB Calvin Pace said. “Don’t look at their record and the things they’ve done in the past. We have to go out there and seize the moment.”
Here’s how The Post sees the game unfolding:
BEST BATTLE
Jets OLBs Bryan Thomas and Calvin Pace vs. Raiders RB Darren McFadden. McFadden gains a lot of his yards on the outside, which means the OLBs have to set the edges and not allow him to make his quick turns to head up the field for big yards. Both Pace and Thomas were slowed by injuries in practice during the week, so this is a matchup worth watching.
HERE’S THE KICKER
The Raiders’ kicking game is a weapon with K Sebastian Janikowski and P Shane Lechler. Janikowski is 10-of-13 with his three misses coming from 76, 57 and 59 yards. Lechler is ranked second in the NFL with a 49.6-yard gross and a 42.0-yard net. The Jets, meanwhile, counter with an unproven punter in Reggie Hodges, who’s playing his second NFL game since 2005, and K Jay Feely, who has misses from 31 and 44 yards.
GO FOURTH
The end game could be key considering the Jets have outscored their opponents 50-34 in the fourth quarter while the Raiders have been outscored 74-34.
PENALTY BOX
As usual with the mistake-prone Raiders, watch for self-inflicted wounds. The Raiders have been penalized 35 times for 272 yards in five games while their opponents have been penalized only 18 times for 121 yards. The Jets, generally a disciplined bunch, have committed 23 penalties for 191 yards.
WHAT’S THE CATCH?
The Raiders have only one player who’s in double figures in receptions – TE Zach Miller with 14. The Jets, meanwhile, have five players with 10 or more catches – Jerricho Cotchery and Lavernues Coles with 26 each, Leon Washington with 16, Chansi Stuckey with 14 and Thomas Jones with 14.
FAVRE-ITES
Brett Favre has never lost to the Raiders in four starts against them. He’s completed 79-of-128 passes for 1,188 yards, 11 TDs and 4 INTs and a 107.8 passer rating. Speaking of ratings, Favre’s teams are 85-8 in games when his passer rating is 100 or higher.
RETURN INVESTMENTS
Don’t be surprised to see one or both of these teams return a kick or punt for a TD. Jets returner Leon Washington leads the NFL with a 31.5-yard kickoff-return average and averages 13.6 yards on punt returns. The Raiders counter with Johnnie Lee Higgins, who averages 25.2 yards on kickoffs and 10.3 yards on punts.
NUMBER TO KNOW
25.7. That’s the average in yards per catch for Higgins, who’s caught six passes.
JETS FACT
When Jones runs the ball 20 or more times, his teams have a .667 winning percentage (26-13).
FOE FACT
The Raiders have held four of their five opponents scoreless in the first quarter, having outscored their opponents 20-7 in the opening quarter.
CANNIZZARO’S CALL
The closer-than-expected game against the Bengals last week as well as the rash of upsets in the league should have the Jets’ attention against the inferior Raiders. Look for Favre to follow the footsteps of Saints QB Drew Brees, who lit up the Oakland secondary last week.
JETS 35, RAIDERS 14