New England Patriots team grades vs Oakland Raiders Week 11

The Patriots did not run the ball often against the Raiders as they game planned to pick them apart through the air. However, when the ground game was called upon they did deliver.

The rotation seems to finally be set in stone. Once again, Mike Gillislee was a healthy scratch on the inactive list. That leaves Dion Lewis to handle the early down work and once again he performed well.

Lewis handled 10 carries, which was half of the rushes the Patriots had in the game. He turned them into 60 yards as he ripped off multiple chunk gains against a virtually nonexistent Raiders defense. Lewis had a long of 20 yards on the afternoon which helped set up the field goal prior to halftime.

Rex Burkhead and James White split the remaining 10 carries. Burkhead ran for 16 yards and fumbled once. Dwayne Allen recovered the fumble, but that could have played a part in his lesser role in the offense. James White handled the other five carries, rushing for 13 yards.

Overall, the Patriots ran for 89 yards on 20 carries. The Patriots game plan was not run heavy, but they got the job done when they needed to. Lewis continues to shine as the lead back, while Burkhead and White mix in behind him, playing bigger roles in the passing game.