Sunday was not the Oakland Raiders best day.
After traveling to Mexico City for their second international game in as many years, the Silver and Black fell to the New England Patriots 33-8 at Estadio Azteca.
Although the Week 11 tilt was technically a "home" game for the Raiders, the crowd was practically split down the middle in their allegiances, and by the end of the day, BRA-DY chants were raining down from the upper deck of the Azteca.
Headed into the Week 11 battle with Tom Brady and Co., we highlighted three matchups to keep an eye on; now that the game is behind us, let's see how those respective clashes, presented by DirecTV, played out.
Raiders Running Backs vs. Patriots Running Backs
If you're looking for a positive takeaway from Sunday's game – and I know that's a little easier said than done – just look at the way the Raiders were able to run the ball, the first half in particular.
At game's end, the Silver and Black had tallied 109 yards on the ground, and while 87 of those yards came in the first half, when Marshawn Lynch and the rest of the Raiders backs had a chance to pound the rock, they did just that, very effectively as well.
After falling behind 24-0 nothing in the early stages of the second half, running the ball, and controlling the clock became a little more difficult, but as we said above, when the Raiders got the chance to run behind their big offensive line, they did so at a high clip.
"Especially in the first half, I thought we ran it well in the first half; very efficient," said Head Coach Del Rio. "Efficiency on the day was really good running the football. I think we were closet to 80 percent efficiency, so that was way above what you're looking for. That was really good."
Lynch in particular made the most of his opportunities, carrying the ball 11 times for 67 yards, averaging an impressive 6.1 yards per carry.
Defensive End Khalil Mack vs. Offensive Tackle Nate Solder
Khalil Mack has made a living getting after the quarterback, and he did just that Sunday afternoon at Estadio Azteca.
After shaking off tight end Rob Gronkowski, No. 52 found himself face to face with Cameron Fleming, but the veteran lineman was no match for Mack, who threw him aside en route to taking down Tom Brady for an eight-yard sack.
The Silver and Black didn't have a ton of defensive highlights against the Patriots, but Mack's first quarter sack was one of them.
As we've grown accustomed to seeing, Mack was once again active all afternoon, finishing his Week 11 outing with a full stat line of four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits.
Defensive Coordinator Ken Norton, Jr. vs. Offensive Coordinator Josh McDaniels
Tom Brady is one of the best quarterbacks to ever play the game, and Sunday afternoon, the Raiders witnessed that greatness firsthand.
Brady threw for 339 yards and three touchdowns, and the Patriots tallied 420 yards of total offense by the time the team flew back to New England with a 33-8 win in tow.
It was a rough day for the Raiders defense, no doubt about that, but they'll get a chance to right the ship this weekend in a true home game against the Denver Broncos.
