The Las Vegas Raiders left the East Coast with a win on Sunday, their first win in the last five games. The New York Jets pushed the Raiders all game, on both sides of the ball, as the game stayed on the line until the final seconds. Las Vegas' Week 8 win was just what they needed.

Sunday's win for the Raiders could not have come at a better time. Las Vegas entered Week 8 reeling, but managed to outlast a determined Jets team that fought until the very end. The win was far from perfect, as Las Vegas struggled at times, but it managed to pull it off on the road.

Las Vegas' offense had a subpar first half against the Jets, but had its best third quarter of the season. Kirk Cousins and the Raiders' productive second half helped offset a Raiders defensive backfield that former Raiders quarterback Geno Smith picked apart.

Second Half Turnaround

The Raiders looked like a different team in the second half than in the first half. Whatever buttons the coaching staff pressed appeared to work. Head coach Klint Kubiak shed light on what happened inside Las Vegas' locker room at halftime on Sunday.

“We definitely had discussions at halftime. We made adjustments. I can’t comment on what they did, but I do know that the resiliency of our team showed up, of our defense showed up, and we finished the game,” Kubiak said Monday afternoon.

"Offensively, [we'd] would love to finish that four-minute drive with the ball and get another first down. I was pleased with the couple first downs we did get, but we’ve got to finish. We’ve got to finish that game on a knee. But when we didn’t, Matt [Gay] stepped up and made a clutch kick, and the defense got a stop.”

Heading into Week 8, Las Vegas' offense struggled to run the ball, which impacted everything else they tried to do. However, against the Jets, Washington's productive second half on the ground allowed Kubiak and offensive coordinator Andrew Janocko to open up the playbook more.

That is generally how it works. The more an offense executes the plays called, the deeper the offensive play-callers can go into the playbook. Washington's 59 yards on 18 carries in the second half made Las Vegas' play-action passes more impactful than they've been in weeks.

During the Raiders' first offensive possession after halftime, they produced a 10-play, 65-yard touchdown drive. It was the first points of any kind they have scored on their first offensive drive after halftime this season. On that drive, Washington ran the ball six times for 30 yards.

“I thought overall, outside of Mike [Washington Jr.], the offensive line did a really good job. Tight ends blocking well. Mike ran well, so gave us a spark in the run game. But I don’t think it was a one-man show. It was a group effort, and I think we were able to stay more balanced,” Kubiak said.

The impact of his runs was seen when the Raiders scored a touchdown, as Las Vegas was able to not only get the Jets' defense to bite on the possibility of Washington getting the ball, Las Vegas rolled Cousins out of the pocket to the right side of the field.

The Play

It was only a two-yard touchdown pass, but it pointed to something bigger. Rolling Cousins out of the pocket utterly confused the Jets' defense, as it almost never happens. It is a small sample size, but paired with the mobility he showed in the fourth quarter against the Kansas City Chiefs, it is telling.

Specifically, both the touchdown against the Jets and Las Vegas' fourth quarter against the Chiefs showed how much more the Raiders' passing attack can open up when the quarterback shows even a little mobility. Look at the passing lanes on the touchdown play and how many players were open.

Las Vegas' offense has the play calls to compete against the league's best. However, a little mobility at the quarterback position could go a long way for the Raiders. Kubiak's offense has another level it can reach. Even small changes to the game plan can have a big impact.