New England Patriots: 3 observations from solid victory vs Raiders
Three observations on the New England Patriots after a closer-than-it-seemed win vs. the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium.
The New England Patriots won a tougher than it should have been game against the Las Vegas Raiders at home.
Finally.
More from Chowder and Champions
- 3 Patriots on the Bubble Who Have Clinched Their 53-Man Roster Spots
- 3 Midseason Chaim Bloom Decisions That Have Killed the 2023 Red Sox
- 10 Patriots Who Will Be Cut by Tuesday’s Roster Deadline
- MLB Screws Red Sox Fans With Broadcast for Mookie Betts Return
- 3 Most Underpaid Celtics Heading Into the 2023 Season
The home team made the game more difficult than it should have been but still managed to beat the Raiders handily by a score of 36-20 in a game that was actually closer than the final score would indicate.
But, a win-is-a-win.
Unfortunately, though, Buffalo, the AFC East leaders, which led the LA Rams 28-3, blew the lead and then came back later to beat LA.
The Bills are 3-0 and on the top of the AFC East. Frankly, they look like the class of the Division to this point.
New England will have to get people healthy, clean up some rough spots, maybe make some key trades for skill players, e.g. a wide receiver, big back, and maybe a tight end, and put it all together if they are to beat the legitimate Bills for the AFC East title. This battle may go down to the wire.
New England should have run away and hidden against Las Vegas. Instead, they kept them in the game for too long. The worst glitch had to be allowing the Raiders to march downfield and score a touchdown no less with 25 seconds left on the clock in the first half, 25 seconds. This cut a decent lead into a dangerously closer one.
The Patriots can ill-afford to slip-up if they are to harbor any hopes of an AFC East Division title or beyond. As things stand today, that road runs through Buffalo. New England has to put in complete-game efforts if they are to dislodge Buffalo from the top spot.
It’s not going to be a slam-dunk as in previous years. Not at all. Buffalo is for real.
Now here are three observations on the win.