The New England Patriots bounced back from their loss to the Buffalo Bills last weekend with a decisive 31-19 victory over the Oakland Raiders Sunday. Here's what we learned:
Richard Seymour wasn't over it
After being traded from the Patriots to the Raiders more than two years ago, four-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman Richard Seymour faced his former team in the Black Hole for the first time Sunday. When asked by reporters last week about his feelings toward playing the team he won three Super Bowls with, Seymour insisted he had no built-up animosity.
"This one is no different," he said.
We saw it differently during the game, though; specifically early on when Seymour made his way back to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady and slammed him to the ground after the whistle, costing his team 15 yards and an unnecessary roughness call. Seymour was also called for a face mask on the same drive, ultimately costing the Raiders 30 yards on the two penalties before Wes Welker dove into the end zone for 6.
Repeat losses still not in Pats’ DNA
This one was more reiterated than learned.
Everybody knows Belichick works hard to get it right. When he gets it wrong, the hoodie and his staff probably don't sleep for the next five or six days. And that's why they rarely lose back-to-back games. The last time they lost back-to-back games was in 2009, when they dropped consecutive away games, the second by just one point to division rival Miami.
The setting following last week's close loss at Buffalo, with a long West Coast trip to Oakland, saw a possible repeat, but the Pats entered Sunday's game well-prepared and re-focused.
Patriots are still the same ol' legit contenders
Despite a plethora of injuries, the Patriots are still contenders to not only make the playoffs, but to get to, and maybe even win, the Super Bowl. That being said, it's still early, and there are at least two other AFC East teams capable of doing the same. Well, after last night, maybe one.
Even without a strong secondary, an injured linebacker corps and a dwindling D-line, the Pats are still getting it done. Belichick is still coaching the team with his next-guy-up approach and Brady is still his old self, marching them up and down the field. With a backfield that is just now picking up its rhythm — with rookie players like Stevan Ridley matching the productivity of BenJarvus Green-Ellis — the offense isn't slowing down. And the efficiency of wideout Wes Welker and tight end Rob Gronkowski isn’t debatable.
Still, New England could use some of its injured guys back. The Patriots lost defensive captain Jerod Mayo to a sprained MCL for several weeks, and Gronkowski is the only active tight end despite having three on the roster. Only few of their sidelined players are out for the year, which is encouraging, but we’ll see if they can regain pace when returning.
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