Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots: 3 things we learned
Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots: 3 things we learned
Raiders run defense exploited
Las Vegas’ defense managed to keep Cam Newton and the Patriots from doing damage through the passing game, keeping the score 6-3 through the second quarter. But once New England shifted to the running game, that’s when the Patriots took advantage and exploited the gaps within the Raiders’ run defense.
New England ran for 250 yards on 38 carries, averaging 6.6 yards per rush. Rex Burkhead had two rushing touchdowns on top of his receiving score, and Sony Michel needed just nine carries to reach 117 rushing yards at the expense of the Raiders, with his longest carry of the day being a 48-yard rush. No matter how efficient your offense is, giving up 6.6 yards per carry is not a winning formula.
This defense will remain a work in progress throughout the season, but the run defense being outplayed like they were on Sunday is unacceptable. The amount of ease New England had in taking advantage is alarming, and Las Vegas has to avoid a similar performance going forward.