Patriots backs bail out Superman, run over Raiders in the process

FOXBORO — What happens when Superman plays like there’s Kryptonite in the stadium?

Answer: Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels hands the cape over to his fleet of running backs.

One of the biggest takeaways from Sunday’s 36-20 win over the Raiders was watching the Patriots offense still pile up plenty of points, and still win when Cam Newton isn’t flying on all cylinders.

Superman was off-target with throws in the first half, picking up a bad habit of throwing into triple coverage, but his early ineffectiveness didn’t doom the Patriots.

After one door was temporarily closed, the Patriots managed to open another as the game progressed.

Actually, it was more like going back to their strengths. It was relying on a power run game, and having a motivated arsenal of backs take advantage of strong offensive line play up front from what’s best described as a makeshift line.

With Joe Thuney filling in for the injured David Andrews at center, and rookie Michael Onwenu playing left guard in Thuney’s spot, the Patriots managed to run the ball down the Raiders’ collective throats.

In the process, Sony Michel enjoyed a resurgence, and the Raiders simply had no answer for Rex Burkhead. Add a healthy sprinkling of J.J. Taylor, and the Patriots pounded the rock to the tune of 250 yards.

They ran outside, inside, and every which way, and the Raiders did little to slow them down.

For his part, Newton chalked up his pedestrian first half, which included an interception, to pressing a little bit, but was thrilled at how the Patriots still dialed up the necessary recipe for a win.

“Every read is not going to be ideal or perfect. I’ve just got to do a better job with protecting the football,” he said. “That inexcusable interception was completely my fault. Trying to extend the play, kind of pressing a little bit too much. Yet at the end of the day, those type of games will happen, and we did what we needed to do, and I think that’s all that matters.”

The solution started on the ground, where the running back room played with a little extra incentive. After the game, the backs revealed that their efforts came out of wanting to support fellow back James White, who tragically lost his father Tyrone a week ago in a car accident.

“Throughout the week, especially him missing from practice, we’re always thinking about him,” said Michel, who finished with 117 yards on nine carries. “Speaking for myself, I’m thinking about him a lot, just texting him, making sure he’s good, staying in high spirits. The rest of the backs did the same thing. We just came together and played hard. That’s what James White would do.”

Michel did his best to honor White with explosive runs of 38 and 48 yards in the second half, powering through the holes provided, and making several moves to extend for bigger yardage. He was also involved in the passing game, catching two passes for 23 yards.

Burkhead scored three touchdowns, two by ground, one by air, as he assumed White’s third-down back role, scoring three touchdowns for the first time in his career.

Taylor, meanwhile, got the ball rolling with some impressive work in the second quarter on a scoring drive.

Patriots head coach Bill Belichick certainly seemed pleased by how the offensive line and backs worked well together.

“Josh did a great job of mixing it up between running inside, running outside, some zone scheme, some gap scheme, some misdirection,” said Belichick. “But it was pretty well executed for the most part, and the players really performed well.”

As Newton also pointed out after the game, the Patriots have basically utilized three different offensive strategies in the first three games to go 2-1.

There was an effective run-pass mix in the first game, a full-throttle passing attack in the second game, and a run-heavy attack in the third game.

Newton finished the game completing 17 of 28 passes for 162 yards with an interception. He also rushed nine times for 27 yards, none more important than a 21-yard scamper in the fourth quarter to keep the chains moving on the put-away touchdown, as Burkhead busted in from two yards out to ice the game.

Superman loves the fact the Patriots are like chameleons offensively.

“We want to put defenses in fits knowing that we have so many different ways to beat you and a plethora of different type of schemes,” said Newton. “We want to run downhill. We want to run on the edge. We want to throw it deep. It doesn’t matter.

“I think that’s been our biggest edge, for the most part, just having that ability to attack the teams in so many different ways and to still be successful.”

As for the offensive line, and having Thuney fill-in for Andrews, playing the position for the first time since a one-drive stint in 2016, the execution was once again flawless.

“We didn’t have no issues, so it was great,” said Newton. “Smokin’ Joe (Thuney) is a person who is very reliable on this offensive line. The moment wasn’t too big for him to step right in to fill the shoes of Dirty Dave (Andrews). So I was just excited that, to have anybody be replacing somebody, you’ll want that transaction to be what it was.”

Basically, the Patriots offense got the job done. Whether it was providing a boost for White, filling in for Andrews, or making up for a subpar Newton, they made it happen.

Said Julian Edelman: “I think that’s a great part of the versatility of the offense. We were able to run the ball the way we wanted to. … We saw results, and any time you can go out and run the ball for the amount of yards we ran, that’s going to put your team in great position to win a game. It was great to do that.”

from Boston Herald https://ift.tt/2S13gwF