Venue/Stadium: Oakland-Alameda County Coliseum
When the New England Patriots fell short on the road against the Buffalo Bills last week in a loss that ended their 15-game winning streak over their AFC East rivals, there were more than a few heads that turned as a result of the final score.
Time/Date: Sunday October 2, 2011 – 4:15 PM ET
NFL Odds from TheGreek
Moneyline: Patriots -210
Spread (ATS): Patriots -4
Over/Under: 55
Not only did the Patriots lead this game by 21 points with less than two minutes to play in the first half only to fall apart, but with Tom Brady matching his season total for interceptions from a year ago with four, it seemed as though the AFC juggernauts simply imploded. However, as is the case most of the time when a legitimate contender comes up short in a game that they were projected to win, the consensus reaction has been somewhat blown out of proportion, which is something that Brady and company will look to address this week against the Oakland Raiders.
While there is no denying that Brady was not at his best in Buffalo last Sunday, there is some merit to the point that two of his four interceptions were off deflected passes, and the other could have been blamed on Chad Ocho Cinco breaking off of his route to drift upfield. Without tight end Aaron Hernandez, the Patriots turned to Wes Welker and Rob Gronkowski to move the ball on offense, and while both were very effective despite the fact that the Bills knew they would be targeted, the truth is that New England may have been better off with a more conservative approach once they had established the 21-point lead. [soliloquy id=”82219″]
Most of the damage done to the Patriots was self-inflicted, something that they will look to avoid against a Raiders’ team that did them a favor a week ago by trucking over the New York Jets. Oakland simply lined up an impressive Rex Ryan defense and ran right through them, with Darren McFadden leading the way for a rushing attack that combined for 234 yards and four touchdowns, with McFadden accounting for 171 and two respectively. The Raiders will be tested this week by a talented Patriots’ passing game that will be determined to respond after a tough loss, and they will need another huge performance on the ground if they are going to have any chance at keeping it close.
NFL Betting Pick: Patriots
