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Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots: Studs and Duds

By Khaled Abdallah

FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 27: Johnathan Abram #24 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball after intercepting a pass during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images)
FOXBOROUGH, MASSACHUSETTS - SEPTEMBER 27: Johnathan Abram #24 of the Las Vegas Raiders runs with the ball after intercepting a pass during the first half against the New England Patriots at Gillette Stadium on September 27, 2020 in Foxborough, Massachusetts. (Photo by Adam Glanzman/Getty Images) /
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Johnathan Abram had an INT early, but struggled throughout (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images)
Johnathan Abram had an INT early, but struggled throughout (Photo by Maddie Meyer/Getty Images) /

Las Vegas Raiders at New England Patriots: Studs and Duds

The Duds

Darren Waller

This may seem harsh as the Patriots were clearly geared up to stop him but Darren Waller had a difficult game on Sunday. The Patriots did all they could to remove the best tight end in the league from the equation as that is exactly what they did.

Bill Belichick is the best defensive mind in the game and he made it clear from the start that the Raiders would need to find someone else to beat him. It’s not Waller’s fault that he lands on the Duds list this week but 2 catches for 9 yards will do that.

Johnathan Abram

This game was a mixed bag for Johnathan Abram and it may feel like we are picking on him given that the whole defense struggled, but he stood out on some plays for all the wrong reasons. Abram made his first career interception early on and looked like he was in for a big game but his trademark aggression made him look silly on some big plays for the Patriots.

He whiffed on Rex Burkhead’s first touchdown and missed Sony Michel a few times in the open field which lead to big plays. It was a milestone day for Abram but also one to forget as he needs to learn to channel that aggression at times and just make the simple play.

Offensive Line

The Raiders came in to the season with the offensive line as the clear strength of the team but that is being sorely tested right now. With the top two right tackles missing yet another game and rookie John Simpson starting for the first time, it was clear the Raiders would have a hard time protecting Derek Carr from Belichick’s exotic schemes and blitzes.

dark. Next. Damon Arnette playing hard through mistakes

The Patriots know better than any other team how to exploit a team’s weaknesses and right now, as unexpected as it may be, the offensive line of the Raiders is one of them. The Raiders line gave up 2 sacks and 5 QB hits and while we wait for the official pressures stats, it seemed like every time Carr dropped back he had players in his face. Next up are the Buffalo Bills who have eight sacks in three games so the Raiders need to address this issue and fast.

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