New England Patriots: Four Takeaways From 16-9 Win Over Oakland Raiders

4. Lack of pressure on Carr overrated

It was noted throughout the game that the Patriots weren’t getting any pressure on rookie quarterback Derek Carr. And technically, that criticism is correct. Carr didn’t go down once, and New England only hit him twice.

But, I don’t think we should panic over these statistics. First of all, Bill Belichick is so successful against young quarterbacks because he knows how to beat them. He doesn’t send big blitzes, or tell his pass rusher to pin their ears back against them. Instead, he has his front four stay in their lanes, contain the signal caller, and let the rookie try and beat him with his arm. And obviously that strategy worked yesterday, because the Raiders struggled on offense, and the Patriots came out with the win.

When the Pats play a quarterback where pressure is absolutely needed, I promise Chandler Jones and company will step their game up, and make some plays in the backfield.