Problems on O-Line intensify

FOXBORO — C.J. Wilson leveled Tom Brady late in the fourth quarter for the Oakland Raiders’ second sack of the game as the Gillette Stadium crowd let out a loud “Ooh.”

Perhaps the more appropriate sound for the day would have been “Ow!”

Brady got up. The 37-year-old face of the Patriots did that a lot in yesterday’s 16-9 win, getting pulled up off the turf by a teammate or slowly rising on his own. The sack total didn’t tell the full tale, as the Raiders registered six other hits on the quarterback.

At Brady’s age, one has to wonder how much more punishment he can take before the Jimmy Garoppolo Era begins ahead of schedule.

There was plenty of blame to go around. Right guard Jordan Devey — who was whistled for a false start and then whiffed on a Justin Tuck sack on the next play — was benched with 11:15 left in the fourth quarter. Dan Connolly moved from center into Devey’s right guard spot, and rookie Bryan Stork stepped in at Connolly’s position.

However, the switch didn’t seem to make any difference, as the pass protection remained subpar and Stevan Ridley picked up just 8 yards on three carries from that point.

For the game, the rushing attack produced 76 yards on 32 carries (2.4 yards per attempt). The Pats advanced inside the Raiders 5-yard line twice and didn’t score a touchdown, picking up 1 yard on three running plays.

Possible excuses for the performance were hard to come by. Connolly’s knee, which kept him a limited participant at practice at times this week, may have played a role. But his play wasn’t the issue; it was everyone’s.

“Well, I think if we’re a little banged up then we could be concerned,” coach Bill Belichick said. “We’ll see. We’ll see where everybody is this week.”

Said tackle Nate Solder: “It’s a matter of improving because it’s not one guy, it’s not one play. It’s a number of plays that we’re breaking down and a number of different schemes and a number of different guys. And so it comes back down to our technique and things we know and need to improve on.”

It’s clear there are improvements to be made. What’s not clear is how, or if, they will come about.