Five Takeaways from the Patriots Victory Over the Raiders
 Tom Brady and the Patriots offense must make big adjustments moving forward. (USA TODAY Images) |
The New England Patriots defeated the visiting Oakland Raiders 16-9 Sunday, lifting the team to a 2-1 record on the year.
Despite the victory, getting New England above the .500 mark for the first time this season, Sunday was not the Patriots' best performance. There are a lot of issues right now for the Patriots, starting with the offense.
Expectations are high, so naturally Sunday's performance was uninspiring to say the least. There's a lot to digest after this game, but let's start with these five thoughts on the contest. --
Offensive Line Woes a Major Concern: It's not time to panic (yet), but there are some serious deficiencies along the offensive line. The unit struggles to run block, protect in the passing game and their inconsistent play is hurting the offense's momentum.
During training camp and into the preseason, the Patriots were shuffling lineman on a regular basis. That trend has continued somewhat into the season, with some personnel changes happening in each of the first three games. With the shuffling and trade of Logan Mankins, it's hard not to question the coaching staff. You have to wonder if they have confidence in their best five players and if these problems can be resolved.
Nate Solder is not playing like a first-round, franchise left tackle. Marcus Cannon and Jordan Devey are missing blocks and allowing too much pressure up the middle. Dan Connolly has made some mistakes at center and perhaps would be better suited to play guard. Whatever the solution is, something needs to change. Tom Brady has taken way too many hits and it's hard not to be concerned about his health if this continues. He was sacked twice and hit six times Sunday.
Passing Game Out of Sync: The Patriots passing game is limited right now, to say the least. It's Julian Edelman, with a dash of Rob Gronkowski, and nothing else. With no inside knowledge of the specific reads in passing plays, it's hard to pinpoint the blame of Josh McDaniels or Tom Brady. Maybe both.
Danny Amendola has not caught a pass since the fourth quarter of week one's loss to the Miami Dolphins. Brandon LaFell has caught only four passes of the fourteen targets his direction through three weeks. Tim Wright has four catches this year, only targeted once Sunday. Aaron Dobson was a "healthy scratch" (since he wasn't on the injury report) and Kenbrell Thompkins wasn't involved either.
Plain and simple, they need a shakeup. The weapons aren't stellar, but more than capable of being a productive unit. After all, the team has not scored a touchdown in the second half through three games. Unacceptable with no.12 at the helm. It's ok to target your best weapons, Edelman and Gronkowski, but you need other players to get involved.
Dont'a Hightower Continues to Impress: Who has been the best defensive player for the Patriots this season? Not Jerod Mayo or Darrelle Revis, but Dont'a Hightower. The third-year linebacker has been terrific through three weeks, playing with confidence and tenacity. Run or pass, Hightower has made an impact and clearly playing closer to the line of scrimmage is more in his comfort zone.
The 6'3, 270 linebacker had seven tackles, one for a loss, a QB hit and a pass breakup 30-yards down the field defending Raiders tailback, Darren McFadden, in Sunday's contest. Through three games he's had two sacks, five Qb hits and 14 pressures. His play has stood out on film in each game and his continued development is a great sign moving forward.
Patriots Must Stick with Ground Attack: One of the most disappointing results from Sunday's game, was the lack of success on the ground against Oakland's defense. Going into week three, the Raiders were the worst run defense in the NFL, allowing an average of 200 yards in the first two games.
New England attempted 29 rushes, but came up with only 83 yards on the day. Stevan Ridley, who had 101 yards in week two, had 19 carries for only 54 yards and 11 of those runs were for two or fewer yards. Not only did the Pats' offensive line fail to get push up front, New England's tailbacks were unable to make much happen in the process.
Despite the mediocre performance, the team cannot abandon the ground attack all together. In fact, they should lean upon the run game to start opening up more plays down the field and utilize play-action passes. For instance, it was surprising to see the team open up week three with all passes on the first series. A balanced offense would alleviate some of the pressure on the offensive line and help get the unit into a rhythm.
Special Teams Play Rebounds: The third, and often forgotten phase of the game, special teams, can often have a big impact on games. The Patriots had relatively poor performances to start the season, particularly to open the year against the Dolphins in Miami, but rebounded big Sunday.
Team captain, Matthew Slater, put on an absolute clinic in Sunday's contest. If you have the ability to re-watch games or plays, watch Slater covering punts. Despite double-teams, he was able to make two huge plays.
Stephen Gostkowski was perfect on the day, making all three attempts from relatively close range. Punter Ryan Allen, placed two of his five punts inside the 20 and had a booming 58-yard kick that flipped field position.
The one critique, that has been a big issue for several years, is the lack of a threat in the kick return game. Slater's 26-yard attempt was the lone-highlight, but the team does not have anyone who excels in that area of the game. On the bright side, the Patriots were not penalized on special teams in week three, which had not been the case in each of the first two contests.
Overall, it's always nice to get a win in the NFL, but the correct adjustments need to be made moving forward. Back to the film room -- and the drawing board -- before the team travels into a hostile environment, at Kansas City to play the Chiefs on Monday Night Football, in week four. More on that game shortly.
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