EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – Charles Woodson was embarrassed to be a Raider on Sunday afternoon. The veteran free safety didn’t hide his displeasure following an awful defensive effort largely to blame for a 37-27 loss to the New York Jets at MetLife Stadium.
“We looked like the Bad News Bears out there,” Woodson said. “In saying that, I want to give a lot of credit to our offense. They never stopped fighting, and they really gave us a chance to stay in the game. Then, defensively, we went out there and basically peed down our leg. It’s just embarrassing.”
[RELATED: Instant Replay: Raiders defense non-existent in loss to Jets]
Woodson’s colorful words may seem strong, but his sentiment isn’t ill placed. The defense was bad at times and terrible at others, giving up four touchdowns and three field goals to a Jets team that scored 20 points in its last three games combined.
The Jets punted only twice -- once in garbage time -- and were 7-for-13 on third-down. The Raiders gave up 143 rushing yards and 4.5 yards per carry. The pass defense was marginally better, but not good enough in key moments.
This embarrassment was orchestrated by a rookie quarterback in Geno Smith who hadn’t thrown a touchdown pass in six weeks.
The Raiders had one interception. They could’ve had another but let Smith off the hook. There were too many mistakes, to many missed opportunities to soften Woodson’s words.
Sunday marked the second straight dismal performance where head coach Dennis Allen called his defense “worn down.” The starting 11 has been taxed by injury and a lack of quality depth. The first-string is losing tread, and this season is consequently sliding out of control.
“I don’t want to make excuses for anything,” Woodson said. “We’ve played well at times. Today, we didn’t. That was as bad as we’ve played this whole season. It was really embarrassing to be a part of it.”
Woodson has played nearly 16 seasons of NFL football, with highs and lows during an illustrious career. He’s played on good teams and bad. Rarely has he felt worse after a game than he did following Sunday’s debacle.
“That’s as embarrassing a game as I’ve ever been a part of,” Woodson said. “I think each one of us took turns messing up, calls or defenses or whatever, not making plays. We’re all to blame for what happened out there today. … We played some bad football.”
