» PATRIOTS TOO MUCH FOR RAIDERS
The theory was proffered to coach Jon Gruden that perhaps the Raiders were so intent on stopping quarterback Cam Newton from running the ball that they were susceptible to every other ballcarrier in a 36-20 loss Sunday to the New England Patriots.
The Patriots controlled the game with 250 yards rushing, and their ability to run the ball and control the clock was looked a lot like what the Raiders did in Weeks 1 and 2 in wins over Carolina and New Orleans.
Newton broke loose for a late 21yard run, but finished with 27 yards on nine carries.
“When you hand the ball off and no one is there, it’s a lot more than that,” Gruden said about the Newton theory. “I give Cam credit. I give the Patriots credit. We’ve got to take a good look at what happened on those plays. Obviously we missed some tackles and we had some players out of their gap. We can’t do that against the Patriots, not against anybody.”
New England averaged a gaudy 6.6 yards per carry, led by Sony Michel with 117 yards on just nine carries including breakaway runs of 35 and 58 yards. New England had 14 rushing first downs and a time of possession advantage of 34:39 to 25:21.
Rex Burkhead, a meat-and-potatoes back, had 49 yards on six carries and scored three touchdowns on runs of 5 and 2 yards as well as an 11yard reception. J.J. Taylor added 43 yards on 11 carries.
The Patriots ran the ball 38 times and passed it 28, which is the kind of ratio Gruden covets.
The Raiders were eighth in the NFL in run defense last season (98.1 yards per game), but it’s been a longstanding problem over most of its second stay in Oakland. Through three games, the Raiders have given up 491 yards rushing, 5.6 yards per carry and are ranked 28th.
You can almost hear Warren Sapp and other Raiders defenders through the years lamenting “Do your job” in the same way Maxx Crosby did on Sunday.
“I think it’s just discipline, staying in our gaps, not trying to do too much,” Crosby said. “It goes for the whole defense. We’ve got to be in our gaps, do our jobs, make tackles and we’re not doing a good enough job of that right now.”
All the praise heaped upon defensive line coach Rod Marinelli during training camp has resulted in a struggling unit through three games. The Raiders did manage to sack Newton twice — both from Crosby — but too often have given up ample time to pass as well as open running lanes in all three games.
That’s not all on the defensive line, but when backs get a head start as the Patriots did so often it makes it difficult on defenders. Johnathan Abram in particular flailed at some open field possibilities on Sunday.
Rookie wide receiver Bryan Edwards fell awkwardly after being tackled following a 34-yard pass from Derek Carr, his longest play as a Raider. Edwards did not return.
That left the Raiders without both of their prize rookies, as Henry Ruggs III was inactive with hamstring and and knee issues.
The Raiders have already lost Tyrell Williams for the year, have left guard Richie Incognito on injured reserve and were without right tackle Trent Brown and middle linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski for the second straight game.