Score: OAK 3 NE 10
Alright welcome in to the halftime post of the Raiders-Patriots game where the Patriots have a one touchdown lead against the Raiders.
The Positives
Derek Carr, 13 completed passes of 18 attempts, 76 passing yards. I don't know, that's the only positive I can think about. D.C. right now is playing game manager. He's controlling the clock, making great decisions, especially on 3rd down. Carr is holding on hid own, but he needs more help from his supporting cast and he needs more aggressive playcalling from Greg Olson. Carr's already three games in, he is accustomed to the playbook by now, but I don't know, coaching staff is still playing safe with him.
The Negatives
Timeout management. Two timeout in one offensive drive, a timeout when the Patriots are in the red zone. You talk about poor clock management, poor clock awareness, and the lack of processing a play call as quickly as possible. It doesn't matter if you have the ball or not, saving timeouts are critical and the Raiders burned their timeouts as quickly as possible in that first half.
3rd down defense. It has been a problem all season long, even if the season is still young. The Patriots converted 5-8 of their 3rd down conversion against the defense. Short offensive drives is one thing to gas out a defense, but the defense not getting themselves off the field on 3rd downs is another. No surprise there, they did a good job early on, but they're slowly reverting back to letting teams convert on 3rd down plays.
Bottom Line
What can I say? The Raiders just need to avoid letting this Patriot team open it up. The Patriots have the ball in the 2nd half since they deferred in the coin toss. Like I said, I'm still uneasy, but if this game is still like this, the outcome is going to be less hurtful. We'll see what happens.
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