There’s a sportsbook across the parking lot from MetLife Stadium, but East Rutherford didn’t feel like Las Vegas until Raiders fans took over the building in the second half.
The 70,080-strong crowd donned black and silver at kickoff, but the most glaring thing was the Jets’ 38-33 “road” loss at home on Sunday when left tackle Olu Fashanu committed an error on third-and-5 as Raiders fans struggled to hear Geno Smith.
“This is my responsibility,” Fashanu told The Washington Post. “I wouldn’t say it was because of the crowd. No matter what the environment was, I had to be locked in and listen to the game count. Hats off to the Raiders fans. Obviously, they played well, but that’s no excuse. I’ve got to do better.”
The Raiders haven’t played on the road against the Jets in a non-COVID-19 restricted season since 2019, so Sunday was a long wait for local fans of one of the NFL’s national teams.
Excitement is certainly running high for Raider Nation after a surprising 3-0 start to the season, and it hasn’t gone away amid a four-game losing streak.
“They had some fans in the building and we had to deal with it,” receiver Garrett Wilson said. “No matter what, it’s a home game. Protect our home court. We’re sitting there 2-6. We have to give our fans a reason to come out. I get it. As a team, we have to operate regardless of the noise.”
Raiders cornerback Eric Stokes waved his arms in the fourth quarter, urging fans to shout. They did, drowning out the hometown crowd.
“Silver and black are out,” head coach Clint Kubiak said. “We heard them, they were loud, and they supported us from pregame to throughout the game, especially in the fourth quarter. It was really special, so I really appreciate our fans.”
How hard is it to be the aggressor when you expect silence at home?
“At the end of the day, there were only 22 people on the field,” receiver Adonai Mitchell said. “The fans are always there.”
Running back Braylon Allen claimed he didn’t hear the noise.
But Raiders first-year quarterback Kirk Cousins called MetLife’s acquisition a “surprise.”
“I got hit on a touchdown, but I didn’t know Jalen [Nailor] “We scored, but I could hear our Raiders fans,” Cousins added. “I was trying to tell if we scored by looking up at the crowd because I was leaning up and I saw the Raiders fans cheering. I thought, ‘I think we scored.’ ‘”
Jets head coach Aaron Glenn thought the Raiders stunned the crowd with a 95-yard kickoff return for a touchdown in the first half to take a 14-13 lead.
“It just sucks the life out of the whole building,” Glenn said. “Because I think our fans are on board as well. I think they do a great job of creating momentum for all of us.”
The Raiders and their fans took it away.