Patriots vs. Raiders Recap

The Patriots led a very balanced attack against the Raiders, as they fly home to Foxboro with a 31-13 win. The combination of Steven Ridley, BenJarvus Green-Ellis, and Danny Woodhead rushed for 185 yards while Brady threw for 226. I was expecting a shootout, but surprisingly the Patriots defense shut the Raiders down, especially in the red zone. Impressive, considering Jerod Mayo left early with an MCL injury. It was later diagnosed as a sprain, and will not be season ending or require surgery, just a couple weeks off. Patrick Chung returned to the lineup, and he picked off Jason Campbell in the end-zone. The defense only allowed the Raiders score once. Twice the Raiders were forced to kick a field goal, and they only scored one touchdown, totaling 13 points. That's a very good sign for a banged up Patriots defense. Key players like Patrick Chung and Albert Haynesworth have been out, and now top tackler Jerod Mayo will be out. Even more impressive is that they held 2011's leading rusher-Darren McFadden- to only 75 yards on 14 attempts. He did record 48 yards receiving. Ok. It was not the best game for the defense- 504 total net yards. But the red zone defense was impressive. That's the bright spot. Another bright spot was that the offense was turnover free. Brady threw for 226 yards on 16-30 throwing. Obviously this isn't comparable his best three game span- and maybe the best three game span- ever. During that three game span, he threw for over 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns with 5 interceptions- already more than last year. The Patriots improved to 3-1 on the season, tying the Bills for first place in the AFC East. Again, Brady threw to 7 different receivers. However, Wes Welker, who is arguably the best slot receiver in the NFL up to now. On Sunday he recorded 159 yards and a touchdown on 9 receptions to back up a career performance last week against the Bills with 16 receptions and 216 yards. The second best receiver was Chad Ochocinco, who had just 2 receptions and 26 yards. Gronkowski, Edelman, and Branch only had a reception each, but Branch scored a touchdown. Running backs BenJarvus Green-Ellis and Steven Ridley also had a reception. Ridley was the best runningback for the Patriots, as he rushed for 97 yards and a touchdown. Green-Ellis also scored- he had 76 yards on 14 carries. In my opinion, this is tremendous for the Patriots because both Steven Ridley and BenJarvus Green-Ellis could create a great running-back-in-committee, and would balance the offense. This would be hell for opposing defenses, as it allows Brady to throw more efficiently as defenses could be geared for the run. It could also be the other way around- defenses geared for a pass will let the shifty Steven Ridley or bruiser BenJarvus Green-Ellis run all over them. Throw Danny Woodhead in the equation and offensive coordinator Bill O'Brien can open the playbook wide open. Brady and his running backs would help each other a lot. The Patriots face their division rival, the Jets next week in Foxboro. I will be attending, so I will have a very solid recap coming after the game. The Jets are 2-2 after falling to the Ravens Sunday night.