EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — Where were you when the Jets' offense exploded to one of their most impressive performances over the last decade?

Where were you when the Jets' best offensive performance was squandered by a poor defense and special teams breakdowns?

New York scored on their first six drives of the game to kick off Week 8, but it wasn't enough. The Las Vegas Raiders, encouraged by a large traveling fanbase, took control of the contest late and held on for the 38-33 win. The loss dropped the Jets to a 2-6 mark in a game where they had over 400 yards of offense and over 166 yards on the ground.

As with any loss, there are studs and duds from Sunday's game. Let's break them all down right now.

Stud: Braelon Allen, RB

We have come to the point now where Braelon Allen's production has far exceeded anything a single Jets running back has done since Hall of Famer Curtis Martin was with the team in 2004. Allen ran for 147 yards on 21 carries, including a 21-yard touchdown run to give New York a two-score lead into the third quarter.

Braelon Allen scores and now has 142 rushing yards on the day!

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Allen became the first running back in team history to have three straight 100-yard games on the ground since Martin. He has become the bell cow that many Jets fans have hoped to see from Breece Hall.

After the game, head coach Aaron Glenn talked about Allen's performance and focused on not rushing Hall back from his quad injury.

At the end of the day, though, the Jets cannot move Allen away from the starting lineup. He has been too dominant to stop.

Dud: Red-zone offense

New York's offense had its most dominant day of yard production we have seen in quite some time. The unit recorded 424 yards of offense, including 166 on the ground. The problem, though, lay in the fact that the red zone offense was an abysmal 2-for-6.

Four field goals kicked and only two touchdowns. Unacceptable in the modern age of offense-first football.

There were many issues why the unit struggled. Sometimes, like in the game's opening drive, the team couldn't hook up with their best players. Garrett Wilson couldn't corral a back-shoulder fade. Later in the game, though, penalties and missed throws all played a role.

No team that puts up 33 points should lose a game in the NFL. New York's offense will have a lot they can be happy about today.

But the Jets also could have put the game out of reach multiple times and failed to do so. When their defense eventually broke, they didn't have an answer.

Stud: Geno Smith, QB

New York's starting quarterback was not perfect on Sunday. He missed several throws early on and threw a pick to end the game instead of giving his offense one more chance to score on a Hail Mary.

But those mistakes aside, Smith was excellent for the Jets all game. He finished 20-for-32 passing for two touchdowns and the late pick. He was sacked twice in the second half but repeatedly pushed the ball downfield against Las Vegas' maligned secondary.

One thing Smith will want back is the team's red zone success; we'll get to that later. But putting up 33 points should be enough to win a game in the NFL. Smith's performance, again, was good enough to win.

Dud: Jets' special teams

Last season, the Jets rostered one of the best special teams units of all time. Before 2026 began, there was major concern about how Jason Sanders would look, but genuine confidence was found in their unit as a whole.

Things have changed drastically since the start of the season, though.

New York gave up a 95-yard touchdown return in the first half that gave Las Vegas the lead, 14-13. For a game that was decided by one score, the special teams breakdown was a game-turning play. It won't matter that Sanders made all four of his field goals today either.

It will be remembered for the breakdown in coverage that gave Las Vegas seven free points.

Stud: Jets' offensive line

The second half wasn't as dominant as the first, but the Jets' offensive line continues to play exceptionally well over the last several weeks. New York gave Smith plenty of time to throw and averaged over six yards per carry as a collective unit.

This was also the first game back for starting left guard Dylan Parham. His return brought the group back to a dominant fold. They moved Las Vegas at the line of scrimmage all game and found ways to open holes for whoever was touching the football.

This is a kind of loss that will sting because this group continues to show how good they can be with more snaps together. The future is very bright for New York's offensive line.

Dud: Jets' defensive line

New York's defensive line made two nice plays on Sunday.

1. When Will McDonald IV recorded his third sack of the season in the second quarter.
2. When the team stood up Las Vegas's attempt at a tush push on fourth and short during that time as well.

Throughout the game, though, and particularly in the second half, the Jets' defensive line got tossed around. There's a reason for that, of course. New York was without four starters: David Bailey, David Onyemata, T'Vondre Sweat and Joseph Ossai.

The numbers tell one story. New York gave up just 2.9 yards on the ground in a clear focus of stopping the run, but the team failed to record much pressure at all on Kirk Cousins. That led to 24 points scored in the second half and three straight scoring drives.

The Jets' defensive line is their biggest weakness right now, and it seems like it's only going to get worse.

Stud: AD Mitchell, WR

Fans were waiting to see a breakout performance from AD Mitchell all year. They finally got it on Sunday.

Mitchell caught seven passes for 142 yards and a touchdown. He could have had even more with one drop down the field costing him at least another 42 yards of offense. Mitchell was Smith's most trusted target, as has been the case all season.

An incredible 48-yard catch by Adonai Mitchell!

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His development is also huge for a Jets offense that seemed to get Garrett Wilson going (team-high 12 targets), and didn't target rookie receiver Omar Cooper Jr. The Jets have an embarrassment of riches at receiver now, and it makes their offense very fun to watch.

Even after a loss such as this.

Dud: Aaron Glenn, HC

Glenn was clear he wanted to call plays this season because play calling was his "superpower."

It was anything but in Week 8.

Glenn's defense gave up three straight touchdown drives to open up the second half, erasing what had been a 10-point halftime lead into a five-point deficit late in the fourth quarter. Now, a lot of things are working against Glenn. His ideal defensive line is hurt, and the team didn't get the kind of quality play they normally saw from their secondary.

But there were many strategic decisions Glenn made that hurt the team as well. Chief among them was keeping cornerbacks on Las Vegas's tight ends for a majority of the game. Both of Brock Bowers's touchdowns came against cornerbacks. Michael Mayer also made four catches for 46 yards as well.

New York needed a better defensive coaching plan. Especially from someone who was brazen enough to call it his superpower at the start of the offseason.