Raiders tear apart Jets’ defense in 34-20 win

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There is a point when bad teams become mediocre ones and mediocre teams become good ones. Good ones don’t care what their opponents do well; they simply take care of business.

The Raiders looked like they have taken it to another level Sunday, running the ball at will against the Jets, who had the No. 1 run defense in the NFL coming into the game. Oakland won its second straight laugher, 34-20, and could have had a lot more than 118 yards rushing if not for all those pesky receivers running around open.

“We weren’t about making statements as much as we were going to use our best and challenge their best,” head coach Jack Del Rio said. “We weren’t going to be afraid to utilize our guys.”

That goes for throwing against Darrelle Revis and the Jets’ cornerbacks. Derek Carr passed for 333 yards and four touchdowns, two to Andre Holmes, as the Raiders (4-3) scored 21 points on their first three possessions and didn’t look back. Michael Crabtree had seven catches for 102 yards.

“Bill Musgrave tells us to get the fire started,” running back Taiwan Jones said, referring to Oakland’s offensive coordinator. Jones, who scored his first career touchdown on a 59-yard reception, added, “We can’t wait. Make plays, and have it spread throughout the offense. All over the field.”

Burn, baby, burn.

Michael Crabtree (15) breaks away from the defenders for his second quarter touchdown as the Oakland Raiders played the New York Jets at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, November 1, 2015. Michael Crabtree (15) breaks away from the defenders for his second quarter touchdown as the Oakland Raiders played the New York Jets at O.co Coliseum in Oakland, Calif., on Sunday, November 1, 2015. Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Photo: Carlos Avila Gonzalez, The Chronicle Image 1 of / 4 Caption Close Raiders tear apart Jets’ defense in 34-20 win 1 / 4 Back to Gallery

The Raiders last scored 30 points or more three times in a season in 2010, and if the regular season ended today (yeah, we know it doesn’t), they would be in the playoffs as a wild-card team.

Latavius Murray ran for 113 yards on 20 carries as the Raiders became the first team to run for more than 100 yards against the Jets this season. Oakland, meanwhile, limited New York running back Chris Ivory to 17 yards on 15 carries.

Wins start in the trenches, with the really big, sweaty guys.

“We love keeping our quarterback clean and making holes for the running backs,” said 6-foot-7, 330-pound tackle Austin Howard. “But you can’t get too happy. You have to get mean for the next play.

“We heard a lot about how we couldn’t run the ball this week, and we answered that challenge really well.”

New York took a 3-0 lead on its first possession, and had Oakland on its heels — but the Raiders got a huge break when Jets quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick suffered a torn left thumb ligament on a 12-yard run on the drive.

Fitzpatrick was 3-0 — with three different teams — against the Raiders, and his backup, Geno Smith, was not up to a comeback. (The Jets, down 28-6, did score two touchdowns in the second half as the Raiders couldn’t muster much of a pass rush all day.)

Oakland would have won even if Fitzpatrick had not been injured. He doesn’t play linebacker. Murray ran for 33 yards on the Raiders’ first drive, one that ended with Holmes’ 5-yard catch in the corner of the end zone. The 6-foot-4 receiver, playing behind Amari Cooper, Crabtree and Seth Roberts, hadn’t caught a pass since September, but he had a big day Sunday.

Later, with the Raiders up 14-3, Holmes streaked down the right sideline and put out his hands to snag a pass that Carr dropped in. Holmes caught it in stride and kept going past two defenders for the 49-yard touchdown with 5:11 to go in the first half.

Four minutes earlier, Crabtree scored on a 36-yard pass. He was open in the middle of the field and ran toward three New York defenders — each of whom apparently thought the other was making the tackle. Crabtree put his head down and stumbled the last 10 yards for the score.

The Raiders’ last touchdown came on a pretty play by Jones, whom former head coach Dennis Allen had switched to defensive back. Jones took a quick pass that linebacker Denario Davis read perfectly, but Jones was too fast and sped by him. Jones then juked Marcus Gilchrist and took off down the sideline to complete a 59-yard touchdown.

“I just took it back to the playground,” Jones said. “Instincts. I just went blank. I knew I had to make a play, after watching Latavius, Holmes and Crabtree … I was inspired.”

Burn, baby, burn.

Vic Tafur is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. E-mail: vtafur@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @VicTafur

Raiders’ 3 notables

QB Derek Carr: He is dealing right now. In his past two games, Carr has completed 47 of 67 passes for 622 yards, with seven touchdowns and no interceptions.

WR Michael Crabtree: Had more yards (102) Sunday than the top three receivers combined (91) on his old team across the bay. Fans hugged him on his leap in the Black Hole and would love to see him re-signed next season.

S Charles Woodson: Pulled down his fifth interception of the season, which was good to get a $250,000 incentive from his one-year contract. It’s all about winning with the future Hall of Famer, but he doesn’t dislike money, either.

— Vic Tafur