Recap: Offense struggles again in Patriots win over Raiders
Elise Amendola/Associated Press |
The Oakland Raiders put up a much better fight than most were expecting, but it was still not enough, as the Patriots narrowly escaped their home opener with a 16-9 win.
With the Raiders inside the red zone with 59 seconds to go, Vince Wilfork intercepted a Derek Carr pass that was tipped by Logan Ryan, sealing the victory for New England.
Once again, it was the defense that stood tall when it mattered most for the Patriots, as the unit only gave up 241 yards of total offense. New England gave up a total of 67 yards on the ground, with Darren McFadden shouldering most of the load. McFadden rushed 18 times for 59 yards.
The Patriots offense struggled for the majority of the afternoon, as their four trips inside the red zone only produced one touchdown. Tom Brady was hard pressed to find anyone open who wasn't named Julian Edelman or Rob Gronkowski for most the of the game, but finished the day going 24/36 for 234 yards and a touchdown pass to Gronkowski.
Brandon LaFell also got into the act a bit, catching four passes for 46 yards.
Stevan Ridley rushed for 54 yards on 19 carries, and Shane Vereen rushed for 20 yards on sevent carries.
The Raiders got on the board first, as Sebastian Janikowski nailed the first of his three field goals with 4:37 left in the first quarter.
The Patriots then took the lead on Brady's pass to Gronkowski and would not relinquish it.
Raiders rookie quarterback Derek Carr finished the afternoon going 21/34 for 174 yards.
The Patriots will hit the Monday Night Football stage for the first time this season, as they travel to Kansas City to take on the Chiefs in Week 4.
Follow me on Twitter - @JesseGaunce
For more of my articles, click here.