4 takeaways from Patriots’ 36-20 momentum-gaining win vs. Raiders

Tough defense, hard-nose running kept the Patriots ahead against the Raiders.

After a rocky start, the New England Patriots walked away with a huge 36-20 momentum-gaining win over the Las Vegas Raiders.

The Patriots had a league-high eight opt-outs, new crop of linebackers, the departure of Tom Brady and Bill Belichick still put together a team that can play top-notch football in all three phases. For Cam Newton’s team — the rushing attack was the story of the day against Las Vegas.

Newton didn’t have a spectacular game on the stat sheets, but he was backed up by Rex Burkhead and the running backs. The defense came away with timely fumbles and Darren Waller was irrelevant the entire game.

Rex Burkhead had a career day

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Although there’s a section in here for the running backs — Burkhead deserved his own credit.

Burkhead took on a major role against Las Vegas and finished with a career-high three touchdowns. He had six carries for 49 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, along with seven catches for 49 yards and a touchdown. Burkhead had a team-high ten targets, earning the trust from Newton.

Huge days for running backs

Undrafted rookie free agent J.J. Taylor jumpstarted the day on the ground for New England. Taylor finished the day with 11 carries and 43 yards, but they were much more timely than they sound.

Twitter had some fun with Taylor’s hot start and wanted to immediately demote Sony Michel from his role. Michel reacted quickly to the trash talk and came up with the two longest runs of his career (38 yards, 48 yards).

The Patriots finished the game with 38 carries, 250 yards and two touchdowns on the ground, with 6.6 yards per carry. It was New England’s second game of 200-plus yards this season, with James White and Damien Harris joining the running back crew soon.

Spotty defense saved by fumbles

Looking at the score, it’s easy to say the Patriots had a huge day on the defensive side of the ball. But, the Raiders made it into the redzone early and often. A fumble by Josh Jacobs prevented a score early in the game and timely big-time fumbles were the story of the game.

Derek Carr finished the game with 261 passing yards, two touchdowns and a 75 completion percentage. He was hitting his marks and picked apart New England’s secondary throughout the game. Hunter Renfrow and Bryan Edwards broke through in huge moments with game-changing catches.

These huge fumbles made up for Carr’s solid day.

Defense contained Darren Waller, Josh Jacobs

Waller entered the game as the league’s most productive tight end. He left the game against New England with two catches for nine yards — none of which came in the first three quarters. Belichick put a mixture of Stephon Gilmore and Joejuan Williams on Waller throughout the game.

Jacobs finished the game with 16 carries for 74 yards and a fumble. He didn’t  have a horrible day, but the majority of his yards came in the first half. The Raiders would’ve been better off if they stayed consistently with the rush attack, but they couldn’t keep up with New England’s scoring.

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