3 Duds (& 2 Studs) From Patriots Week 6 Loss vs. Raiders

Dud: Patriots' Pass-Rush

You know what makes getting stops on third-down a lot harder? When the opposing quarterback has all day to throw.

You can't win games in the NFL if you can't get a pass rush on. The Patriots couldn't get home against either Jimmy Garoppolo or Brian Hoyer in this game (a weird sentence to type) and ultimately, their inability to get adequate pressure on the quarterback cost them in a tight game.

The Patriots ended this game against the Raiders with three QB hits but zero sacks. Sacks aren't the only way to measure pass rush success but you have to get home eventually.

Now, injuries have a lot to do with this. No Matthew Judon for the Patriots means the pass rush could almost be expected to be a dud, but no Josh Uche put this team in an almost impossible spot. But at the end of the day, you don't get an asterisk in the box score because you're dealing with injuries.

Being banged up isn't unique to the Pats, and they need to find a way to generate pressure even without their top rushers on the field.