In Tom Brady‘s first game in Mexico City, the New England Patriots crushed the Oakland Raiders 33-8. This was the Patriots third appearance in the NFL International Series, having played two games at Wembley Stadium in London in 2009 and 2012. The Patriots improved to 8-2 on the season to match the Pittsburgh Steelers at the top of the AFC. Here are some Week 11 New England Patriots takeaways.
Week 11 New England Patriots Takeaways
The Conditioning Paid Off
On the first drive of the game, the Patriots operated an up-tempo offense. Tom Brady was surgical, going 12 for 12 to start the game. This was the Patriots second week in a row playing more than 5,000 feet above sea level. The Patriots elected to stay in Colorado, practicing in Colorado Springs, to try and stay accustomed to playing the game in the thinner air. The Raiders did the opposite, arriving in Mexico City the night before the game.
The Raiders lack of preparation for the environment showed on that first drive. Oakland replaced several starting defensive players during the blistering drive. The Patriots relentless attack kept the defense gassed and on its heels. They slowed things down in the second quarter but kept the pressure on Oakland’s defense throughout the game.
New England scored in all four quarters, maintaining a manic pace for most of the game. Only two of the Patriots nine drives ended in punts, proving the Raiders defense was not able to control the game.
The Defense is Disruptive, not Dominant
Derek Carr has not demonstrated the same elevated level of play this year, but the Patriots defense wreaked havoc in Mexico City. In the first half, Deatrich Wise Jr. and Trey Flowers were ferocious off the edge. Oakland’s offensive line struggled to keep the pocket from collapsing. Unfortunately, pressuring the quarterback forced the Raiders to run the ball. Marshawn Lynch and Jalen Richard were dominant just before the end of the first half, racking up 60 yards on the ground. Matt Patricia adjusted accordingly in the second half, shutting down running lanes for Lynch and Richard.
However, due to the Patriots offense firing on all cylinders, the Raiders offense had to take to the air. The Raiders have lost every game this season in which Carr found the end zone through the air only once. Matt Patricia’s defense had to understand that taking the receivers away was going to be essential to win this game. Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree were non-factors for most of the game, and Crabtree was the only Oakland receiver to top 50 yards receiving in the contest. The Patriots defense was situationally aware enough to generate turnovers and end potential scoring drives.
Unfortunately, the defense was seemingly unable to stop the Raiders from moving the ball for most of the game. Carr carving away chunks of yardage throughout the second half was reminiscent of the defense Patriots fans lamented through the first half of the season. Call it fatigue. Call it dehydration. The defense has improved significantly, but it’s nowhere near as dominant as it needs to be.
The Mix-and-match Offensive Line Works
Ted Karras started his first game ever at center and did a phenomenal job. The second-year player out of Illinois came to New England as a guard. But he has appeared on the depth chart at almost every position on the line since being signed. His snaps were clean, and his presence was felt. Marcus Cannon, out with an ankle injury, was replaced by LaAdrian Waddle. Despite leaving the game briefly, Waddle assisted a stalwart effort to keep the offense clicking.
The Patriots ran true running plays 20 times during the game for an average of 4.4 yards per carry. Despite a few missteps, the gaps were clean enough for Dion Lewis and Rex Burkhead to make necessary yardage. But the most notable improvement was that Brady was only sacked once and hit four times on Sunday. Brady has been among the most sacked quarterbacks all season, but the offensive line was able to keep Khalil Mack away from Brady until the ball was in the air.
Finally, the Patriots have returned to a Belichick-ian discipline. Penalties have been extremely costly for the Patriots this season. The offense alone lost 65 yards on penalties versus the Atlanta Falcons in Week seven. But the Patriots only saw two flags that resulted in lost yardage against the Raiders. If the first half of the season can be described by the word, “dysfunctional,” the second half can be described as “disciplined.”
The Patriots return home to Foxborough next week to face the Miami Dolphins. The Dolphins are 4-6 after losing to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers this week, officially ending their threat to the reigning AFC East champions.
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