The number of injuries showed
Despite the dynamic play of backups stepping up in the first two Raiders' victories, injuries came back to bite them in New England.
Backup offensive linemen Denzelle Good and rookie John Simpson committed a few penalties and didn't have many options behind them for people who could help them — or any lineman — get rest.
Injuries at wide receiver also hampered the offense with Henry Ruggs (hamstring) being ruled out before the game and Bryan Edwards (ankle) missing the majority of the second half after coming down awkwardly following a big catch.
Slot machine Hunter Renfrow scored a garbage time touchdown, while Nelson Agholor and Zay Jones also showed up with a handful of important catches. The Silver and Black offense will definitely be looking toward to getting a full, healthy team back on the field.
The Patriots took away Darren Waller
It was no secret going into the game that Bill Belichick would be focusing on the Raiders' No. 1 receiver.
Last week Belichick told the press that Waller was someone that his team feared due to his playmaking ability and versatility. He and Greg Schiano were able to come up with an effective game plan against him to limit him tremendously.
It manifested itself in the Patriots defense taking away open routes from Darren Waller and rotating seven different defenders in covering him. Waller was held to two catches for nine yards on four targets by the stingy Patriots defense.
Maxx Crosby is back at it
In the first half of the game, the Raiders played some of their best collective defense they've played all season.
Excellent coverage in the secondary led to a great performance by second-year defensive end Maxx Crosby.
Crosby, who led his team in sacks in rookie season, ended the game with two sacks on Cam Newton and caused havoc for the offensive line throughout the game.
The Eastern Michigan lineman had a couple of performances that he admitted weren't up to his own standards, in part due to being double-teamed and heavily targeted by offenses. This performance let fans know that Crosby continues to have it in him to be a game changer the rest of the season.
