The Raiders drove into position for a 40-yard field goal attempt that would tie the game at 13 on their first possession of the second half, but Daniel Carlson missed to leave the Patriots up three points.
Carlson’s miss turned out to be a big turning point. The Patriots scored 10 points on their next two drives and added another touchdown after a Raiders field goal to open up a 29-13 lead with just over five minutes to play. Shilique Calhoun would strip Derek Carr of the ball on the next Raiders offensive snap and Deatrich Wise fell on the ball for a touchdown.
That made it 36-13 for the Patriots, but the Raiders would make the final score a bit more respectable with a late touchdown that made the final score 36-20 at Gillette Stadium.
Rex Burkhead scored all three of the offensive touchdowns for the Patriots and posted 98 yards from scrimmage. Sony Michel busted loose for a couple of big gainers on his way to 117 yards and rookie J.J. Taylor chipped in with 43 yards on the ground.
Cam Newton had a quiet day outside of a touchdown pass to Burkhead. The backs did most of the heavy lifting and he ended up 17-of-28 for 162 yards and an interception.
Carr didn’t get picked off, but he did lose another fumble in the first half and couldn’t get the offense cooking the way it did in their two wins to open the season. They’ll host the 3-0 Bills next week, so the Patriots wouldn’t mind seeing that unit get back on track.
Not that they’ll have much time to pay attention. New England heads to Arrowhead Stadium for a Sunday afternoon date with the Chiefs.