Oakland Raiders Must Prepare For Patriots’ Death By 1,000 Cuts Offense

The Oakland Raiders will face a stiff test coming out of their bye week in the New England Patriots and their dangerous, multi-faceted offensive machine.

If the Oakland Raiders are going to even give themselves a shot at the postseason, they’re likely going to need to go 6-1 down the stretch. And even that might not be enough. It’s an ugly and somewhat shocking state of affairs, but such is the hole this team has dug for themselves.

Given how inconsistent this team has been this season, the task before them is Herculean in its scope. Especially, when you consider that in needing to go 6-1, they’re going to have to defeat the likes of the Dallas Cowboys, Philadelphia Eagles, and Kansas City Chiefs – the latter two, both on the road in possibly (likely) frigid conditions.

But, if they’re going to get hot down the stretch, they’ll have to fall back on that old cliche and take it – say it with us now – one game at a time.

Which means that first up, are Tom Brady and the New England Patriots.

After watching the Patriots dismantle the Broncos and roll to a 7-2 record this season, most people are probably already marking this one off as an L. And given the way the Raiders have performed for much of the season, it’s not hard to understand why.

But, it’s not necessarily as dire as it might appear at first blush. New England, despite being 7-2, hasn’t seemed as bulletproof as they have in seasons past. While the offense is humming along like a finely tuned woodchipper, the Patriots defense has been – suspect.

New England’s suspect defense is giving up a lot of yards and a lot of points this season. Their average of roughly 408 yards of total offense per game ranks them dead last in the league. And their scoring defense, giving up an average of roughly 22 points per game, puts them near the middle of the pack, at fourteenth, league-wide.

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Which means, if Derek Carr, Amari Cooper, Michael Crabtree, and Marshawn Lynch can all catch fire (assuming OC Todd Downing puts together a competent gameplan), the Raiders are going to have the chance to move the ball and put up some points on this Patriots team.

Make no mistake about it, moving the ball and scoring points is something they’re going to absolutely need to do if they hope keep up with Brady and New England’s offensive juggernaut.

On the year, New England has the league’s top-ranked offense, averaging about 409 yards per game. They also have the league’s fourth-ranked scoring offense, averaging a tick under 29 points per game.

While their run game is middle of the pack, their 108 yards on the ground ranking them sixteenth, Brady leads the top passing game in the NFL. And that means, Oakland’s defense is going to have to be stout. More stout than they’ve been at any point this season.

The Raiders obviously can’t afford to sleep on the Patriots run game, but they’re going to be facing a team that has playmakers everywhere on the field. And they’ll be facing a quarterback who makes excellent use of his offensive weapons. All of his offensive weapons.

Brady spreads the ball around the field, arguably better than any other quarterback in the league.

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New England’s top receiver is running back James White (46). Their second leading receiver is wide receiver Brandin Cooks (39), and tight end Rob Gronkowski is third on the list with 38 receptions. But, that doesn’t exactly tell the whole story.

Brady has completed passes to 12 different receivers on the year. Five of New England’s receivers have 30 or more receptions. Running backs Rex Burkhead (15) and Dion Lewis (10) also factor into Brady’s passing game often and effectively.

So, not only will the Raiders defense have to prepare for any of a thousand different guys to catch the ball, even more problematic, Brady excels at running the short game. New England doesn’t take a lot of shots downfield, preferring to let their guys make plays in space, turning short gains into longer catch and runs.

To illustrate that point, look at how they played the Broncos on Sunday. Of Brady’s 25 completions on the day, only two traveled more than twenty yards, totaling 47 total yards. The other 23 completions were short, quick strikes that allowed Brady’s pass catchers to make plays in space.

And true to form, Brady completed passes to nine different receivers. Seven of his receptions went to running backs Max Burkhead and James White. Eight went to tight ends Martellus Bennett, Gronkowski, and Dwayne Allen. And the other ten went to wide receivers Cooks, Danny Amendola, and Phillip Dorsett.

All of this is to say that Oakland’s linebackers are going to have to do something they haven’t done all that well over the last few seasons – defend the short-to-intermediate passes to backs and tight ends.

To be fair, that situation has improved. Slightly. While we’re not seeing tight ends like Gary Barnidge or Crockett Gilmore running rampant and posting career games week after week against the Raiders, pass defense by the linebackers remains a weakness.

It’s a weakness HC Jack Del Rio and DC Ken Norton (though, why he’s still the DC is anybody’s guess), will need to anticipate Bill Belichick looking to exploit early and often. And they’ll need to do something to counteract it. Which means, we could see more of Obi Melifonwu or perhaps even Shalom Luani on the field.

New England’s offensive attack is so multi-faceted, with so many different weapons in play – all of them more than capable of inflicting damage. Oakland’s defense is going to have to be on point and more on top of their game than they’ve been at any point this season.

There is no margin for error for this team anymore. The good news is that they have an offense capable of standing toe-to-toe with New England. As long as they eliminate mistakes and Downing actually takes the shackles off, Carr leads one of the few offenses in the NFL that can trade blows with Brady and the Patriots.

Which means, that it very well may come down to the defense. Oakland’s hasn’t been great this year. But, New England’s is statistically worse. It’s beyond critical that this defense get set and be prepared for a powerful, multi-faceted offensive attack.

New England my not be much for the huge, deep-bomb sizzle plays. But they’re methodical, patient, and can beat you in a myriad of ways.

The Patriots offense can definitely be death by 1,000 cuts for a defense. It’s up to Oakland’s unit to take the pain and stand tall, rather than give in to it. If they do that, it could save the season. If they can’t, the curtain very well may begin to fall on what has been a disappointing year.