The excitement of a 2-0 start has gone away quickly with a blowout loss to the New England Patriots. The Raiders went into Gillette Stadium and didn’t put out a good showing losing 36-20 for their first loss of the season.
The Raiders’ defense was demolished after a good start, but the Patriots and Josh McDaniels adjusted. The Patriots rushed for 251 yards on the day at 6.6 YPC and didn’t even need to throw the football. This was another bad performance by the defense, who is giving up 30 points per game. If the defense can’t get any better, this season will have another mediocre finish.
The offense didn’t fare too much better with three turnovers and blown opportunities in the red zone. It reminded us of the Raiders offense in 2019 without Henry Ruggs with good drives ending without points. Through three games in this 2020 season, the Raiders offense will have to carry this team, and today it did not show up.
Who were the winners and losers from this debacle?
Winner: CB Trayvon Mullen
While the Patriots were able to dominate the ground throughout the game, the passing offense didn’t have the same outcome. One of the reasons for that was the play of Trayvon Mullen, who is indeed coming into his own as a cornerback.
Mullen had three passes defended in this game with two big ones in the first quarter the helped the Patriots get away from the passing game. The Raiders have played primarily cover three this season, and Mullen has looked like a natural while in coverage.
Mullen finished 2019 strong and looks like he is continuing his steady play into year two. With the Raiders secondary going through its bumps, it is a good sign to have a player like Mullen displaying his potential to be a great corner in this league.
Winner: DE Maxx Crosby
While The Raiders’ defense was horrendous, especially against the run, there was a little light at the end of the tunnel with the pass rush. Maxx Crosby finally got his name on the scoreboard on the sack department against the Patriots defense.
Crosby was able to record his first two sacks of the season and get pressure on the quarterback. His second sack was on a beautiful cross chop move, which allowed him to get around the corner to achieve the sack. He displayed more bursts on the initial watch than he did in the first two weeks.
While he could have had a better game against the run overall, Crosby helping this team out with a much-needed pass rush will go along the way later. He has to build on this game and make sure these types of games will be a regular occurrence in the future.
Loser: SS Johnthan Abram
The Raiders tackling has been pitiful for the first two weeks and didn’t get any better against the Patriots. Johnathan Abram, who was playing with an injury, was the main culprit of very embarrassing plays that led to significant gains for the running attack.
Abram was juked by Rex Burkhead first on the first touchdown of the game by the Patriots, where he didn’t even get a chance to get an arm out. It got even worse as the game went along as he completely whiffed on Sony Michel in the open field and ended up creating a massive play for that set up another score by the opposing OffenseOffense.
If Abram is hurt, he has to miss games if he will put out this type of product. He looked reluctant to make tackles in the open field after giving up his whole body in previous games. The Raiders need a healthy Abram, but the defense might be unwatchable if he doesn’t go. It’s a tough spot for the Raiders.
Loser: LB Cory Littleton
The Raiders linebackers are still a mess after investing a ton of cash into them during the offseason. The biggest signing of the offseason was Cory Littleton, and he has shown up very little so far during the 2020 season.
Littleton only missed one tackle in 2019 but came into this game with four the previous week. He consistently missed tackles once again, getting blown black invariably as well, struggling to get off blocks. This was not the same player who was such a playmaker for the Rams the past couple of years.
Littleton has always struggled against the run based on his size and was more of a dynamo in coverage. But teams are running at the Raiders right now instead of passing and exposing them inside. Littleton has to raise his game against the run fast, or it’s going to be a long season.
Loser: Offense
After a good two weeks with him displaying steady play, Derek Carr had his first below-average day. The Raiders needed the OffenseOffense to him in this game, and they had too many turnovers for them to compete with the Patriots.
The offense had three turnovers, with the first one coming in the red zone on their second drive that looked promising. Jacobs let the ball on the ground, but it looked like he recovered but still was a considerable turnover. Carr then had two turnovers himself with him fumbling twice and one going for a touchdown. He has to hold onto the football when he is being sacked, or this team will not go very far.
As it seems this season, this team goes as the offense goes. If the offense doesn’t put out a good display, it will be a long day for the Las Vegas Raiders. This team cannot have turnovers or timely penalties if it wants to be a playoff contender.
