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.
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