Well, Mama did say there would be days like Sunday.
The Oakland Raiders traveled south to Mexico City, but unfortunately, they were unable to return to the United States with a win, as the Silver and Black fell to the New England Patriots 33-8 at Estadio Azteca.
With the loss, the Raiders fall to 4-6 on the season, and if the group wants to make it to the postseason, they now have a very small margin for error.
Next up for Head Coach Jack Del Rio and Co., is a true home game against the Denver Broncos, but before we officially turn the page to Week 12, let's look back at the playtime percentages from the loss to the Patriots, and see what we can learn from the numbers.
Offense
Alexander steps in on the right side– The Raiders typical, starting right tackle, Marshall Newhouse, was unable to strap on the pads against the Patriots because of a hip/quad injury, meaning that second-year lineman Vadal Alexander got the start on the right side. Alexander along with the rest of the Raiders line (Penn, Osemele, Hudson and Jackson) played all 74 offensive snaps Sunday afternoon, allowing just a single sack to the Patriots defense.
Lynch gets rolling –Now, admittedly there weren't a ton of offensive highlights to take away from Sunday's blowout against the Patriots, but we must give credit where it's due; Marshawn Lynch came to play at Estadio Azteca. While No. 24 played just 21 offensive snaps (28%) against the Patriots, he no doubt made the most of his time on the field, carrying the football 11 times for 67 yards. The Silver and Black were down big most of the game so feeding "The Beast" grew problematic, but when he got a chance to pound the rock, he did just that.
Cooper finds the end zone– The Silver and Black found the end zone just once Sunday afternoon, doing so on a nine-yard touchdown pass from Derek Carr to Amari Cooper. Cooper finished his afternoon with just three catches for 28 yards, and the aforementioned score, playing 67 snaps (91%) in the loss. No. 89's touchdown was his fourth of 2017.
Defense
Melifonwu gets the start– While Obi Melifonwu may be a safety by trade, he earned his first career start at cornerback Sunday afternoon at Estadio Azteca. In total, the rookie defensive back played 26 defensive snaps (43%) shifting all around the defensive formation, yielding admittedly a mixed bag of results. The rookie finished his first career start with three tackles.
Mack meets Brady– Tom Brady was stellar Sunday afternoon, but as good as he was, Khalil Mack did manage to sack the future Hall of Famer in the first quarter of the Week 11 clash. The reigning Defensive Player of the Year played 53 snaps (88%) against the Patriots, totaling four tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, and three quarterback hits.
Carrie goes the distance– The Silver and Black's secondary is admittedly a tad thin at the moment, but veteran cornerback TJ Carrie was able to go the distance against the Patriots. Carrie played all 60 defensive snaps, finishing his day with seven total tackles.
