Patriots Hold On For Ugly 16-9 Win Over Oakland, Observations
 Julian Edelman was the difference on Sunday against Oakland hauling in 10 catches for 84 yards. (USA TODAY Images) |
The good news is the Patriots won on Sunday and are 2-1 and winners of two in a row after dropping their opener in Miami after holding on in the final minute to defeat the woeful Oakland Raiders 16-9.
The “other” news is they won’t beat many good teams playing offense like that, going 1-4 in the red zone and with the offensive line generally doing a poor job of protecting Tom Brady in the pocket.
The team now has eight days until they play next, in Arrowhead Stadium against the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football.
Here are some of the other observations from Sunday’s victory:
Bad Start, Worse Play-Calling To Start The Game: Coming into today’s game the Raiders were allowing 200 yards and 5.0 yards per rush. So why does OC Josh McDaniels call three straight pass plays? It was another example of McDaniels trying to be too cute with the opponent.
By the time the Patriots ran the ball for the first time, there was only six minutes left in the first quarter. It was not a good decision and it was executed even worse in that first sequence.
Coupled with some time management at the end of the half that rivals that of Andy Reid, this was hardly the best moment for Brady, McDaniels or Bill Belichick. That sequence was unacceptable at the end of the second quarter. Especially for a team that prides itself on practicing situational football.
Will Brady Last With This O-Line: At one time this question would be sarcastic. Now it is a legitimate one considering the beating Brady took again on Sunday. The offensive line, as it now stands are a bottom tier unit. The Raiders defense was gashed by two mediocre teams in the Jets and Texans.
For the Patriots to average 2.4 yards per rush and generate only 76 yards on the ground against Oakland is not a testament to the blocking prowess for the offensive line. Their protection of Brady was far from clean and Brady took too many big shots.
With games upcoming against teams that get after the QB in KC and Cincinnati, the team needs to do some serious work.
Julian Edelman Is a Bargain: The one bright spot on the Patriots offense has been Julian Edelman. And on Sunday, he was once again the go-to guy that did the dirty work underneath and took some big shots while doing so.
Edelman signed a free-agent contract this off-season and thus far he’s been a bargain. He was the Raiders main focus on Sunday but still managed 10 catches for 84 tough yards….. give that man a game ball.
Wide Receiver Carousel Has To Stop: One of the more perplexing questions that has to be answered now is why one of the Patriots top draft choices from 2013, Aaron Dobson, has been a healthy scratch in Weeks 1 and 3. Dobson has only one catch thru three games and although he remains the team’s best deep ball option, but has been relegated to spot duty with Kenbrell Thompkins. Thompkins btw had one catch for 16 yards while being targeted once.
This rotation thru three games seems to be benefitting no one; Not the receivers, certainly not Brady or the offense. The team needs to make a decision on who are their guys and go with them.
Defense Steps Up: Granted, the Raiders are hardly an offensive juggernaut but any day when your defense holds the opponent to nine points and 241 total yards, they have done their job.
Vince Wilfork won a lot of his one-on-one battles and really limited the Raiders running game, especially between the tackles. After Sealver Siliga, who started and went down with a foot or ankle injury, Wilfork and the Pats defense never missed a beat, holding the Raiders to 3.0 yards per carry.
Wilfork came up with the big stop with under a minute to go when Derek Carr’s pass went off his receiver’s then Logan Ryan’s hands and into Wilfork’s waiting arms to put the game away.
Chandler Jones had another productive day with a couple of deflected passes at the line as well. On a day when the defense was mainly looking to contain Carr in the pocket for the most part, he did well. Dont’a Hightower had another solid game as did Pat Chung at strong safety.
Penalties Down: After getting flagged for 163 yards last week in Minnesota, the team was penalized only 6 times for 59 yards this week. While this number still needs to come down, especially with the big one on Logan Ryan at the end of 4th quarter, this was a big improvement.
The Patriots have been one of the least penalized teams under Bill Belichick and seeing them last in the league thru the first two weeks is definitely unfamiliar territory.
