The New England Patriots took advantage of the high altitude to raise their win total to eight defeating the Oakland Raiders 33-8 in Mexico City
The Patriots defense was on point to start the game forcing a punt and giving it to Patriots quarterback Tom Brady who was on fire tying a career high 12 completed passes in a row to start the game.
Brady looked to receivers Danny Amendola and Brandin Cooks as both receivers racked up receptions with Cooks scoring a touchdown. Amendola has seen more and more snaps as he has gotten healthier.
Kicker Stephen Gostkowski nailed a career-long 62 yard field goal attempt that put the team up by three possessions.
The Patriots then started the third quarter with Cooks almost totaling his first half yardage on one catch for 62 yards and his fourth touchdown of the season.
The defense continues to improve after starting out dead last in the NFL, the unit has tightened up and has improved by leaps and bounds.
The entire second half was a continuation of the first half with the Patriots dominating the hapless Oakland team. Oakland did end up scoring their first points in the beginning of the fourth quarter on a Amari Cooper catch and run against Malcolm Butler with a successful two point conversion.
The Patriots responded with yet another field goal by Gostkowski this time from 29 yards out. Those were the last points scored of the game as the team held Oakland out of the red zone.
Patriots fans, your team is getting better and even without wide receiver Julian Edelman, New England’s offense is indeed unstoppable.
Top Performers: Offense – 3 Defense – 2 Special Teams – 1
Offense:
Brandin Cooks: Cooks had one of the best games of his career torching the Raider’s secondary. The former New Orleans Saint has taken awhile to find his way in New England but the chemistry between he and Brady continues to get better.
Dion Lewis: He’s back. Lewis is doing it all for the team and the running back seems more comfortable with his knee. It took a long time, but Lewis is officially 100 percent.
Tom Brady: Brady was on target all game long and believe it or not, he is improving as a quarterback. His deep ball was on display with long completions to Cooks. Even at 40, Brady is still getting better as a player. Brady also became the first quarterback in NFL history to throw for three touchdowns in one game in the three different countries he’s played in (United States, Mexico, and England.)
Brady moved to 12 straight road wins which is the second longest streak behind Joe Montana who has 18 consecutive wins on the road.
Defense:
The unit: The entire unit as a whole had a stellar performance. Shutting out the Raiders through three quarters. This unit has improved tremendously and are no longer the league’s worst.
Marquis Flowers: It was a coming out party for former Bengal Marquis Flowers. Restricted to primarily special teams, Flowers saw more action on defense during this game recording four tackles and a crucial forced fumble.
Special Teams:
Stephen Gostkowski: Gostkowski made a franchise long 62 yard field goal along with two other field goals giving the fans as well as himself more confidence in his ability going forward.
