Raiders fall short in letdown Week 3 loss to the New England Patriots
By Justin Fried
The Las Vegas Raiders fell short against the New England Patriots losing 36-20 in Week 3.
The Las Vegas Raiders went into their Week 3 matchup riding an emotional high after a stunning victory over the New Orleans Saints on Monday Night Football the previous week.
But facing a quality opponent on a short week while taking a trip out to the East Coast was never going to be an easy task. And their disappointing showing on Sunday provided proof of this.
The Raiders were competitive early on jumping out to a 3-0 lead helped by a Johnathan Abram interception in the first quarter. At the half, they trailed 13-10 holding their own against a very good Patriots team.
But things started to come unraveled in the second half. The Patriots’ run game got going with Sony Michel and Rex Burkhead running all over the Raiders’ run defense that decided not to show up on Sunday.
And before long, New England’s lead had grown to double-digits in the fourth quarter. A timely strip-sack from Deatrich Wise — Derek Carr‘s second fumble of the day — allowed the Patriots to take a commanding 36-13 lead shutting the door on any potential comeback.
The Raiders didn’t do the little things right in their Week 3 loss.
Carr had a good day from a statistical standpoint finishing 24-of-32 for 261 yards and two touchdowns. However, that doesn’t mean that the Carr critics won’t be out in full force.
The 29-year-old turned the ball over twice with untimely fumbles and was partially to blame for the Raiders’ struggles in both the red zone and on third down.
Las Vegas finished 3-of-9 on third down and scored just one touchdown on four total red-zone trips. That is a formula for success and it’s one of the biggest reasons the team lost.
The Raiders are a better team than they showed here today. The talk all week as about Cam Newton and what the Raiders would have to do to stop him.
Newton didn’t win the game fo this team in Week 3 — he didn’t have to.
The Raiders’ run defense shriveled while the offense took a major step back after an impressive showing in Week 2. They’ll return home to take on a tough Buffalo Bills team in Week 4, although things certainly won’t be easier then.
Next. The Raiders offense is as diverse as it’s been in a while. dark
Hopefully the homecoming in Allegiant Stadium will recapture some of that Vegas magic they had in Allegiant Stadium.