Editor: Joe Bryant. Game Recap Contributors: Mike Anderson, Michael Brown, Chris Burtt, J.D. Caldwell, David Dodds, Bobby Elder, Jim Enochs, Joel Faulhaber, Michael Flynn, Kevin Goldblum, Clayton Gray, Bob Harris, Fred Hebert, Jesse Hilsenrad, Drew Kendall, Jeff Lewis, Joey Matusek, Justin Oliver, Steve Prosapio, David Shick, Cody Smith, Scott Smith, Jeffrey Stout. New England 20 at Oakland 27 WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW New England Patriots: Tom Brady did not have a great night. He did complete 60% of his passes, but struggled in the redzone. He didn't throw a TD and he fumbled deep in Patriots territory. Brady's poor numbers weren't really his fault, though. Brady owners should not be worried about this performance. Antowain Smith had a very average day. He found little room to run most of the night. Smith did have 64 combined yards, but the Patriots' offensive line was dominated all night by the Oakland front seven. The Patriots scored a defensive TD, but the defense played poorly. Rich Gannon threw for 297 yards and that was the difference here. When Charlie Garner did run, the Patriots almost never tackled him at the line of scrimmage. Oakland Ravens: Rich Gannon had yet another superb fantasy output. Gannon worked the short passing game masterfully all night. Gannon continued his accurate passing form the Denver game and picked apart the Patriots all night. His game was highlighted by a nice TD run in the second quarter. Charlie Garner didn't score a TD, but he was a weapon Sunday night. Garner finished with 122 yards rushing and receiving. Garner nearly broke two different runs for TDs, and Garner is sure to score another TD soon. Zack Crockett was exclusively the goal line back, and had three carries for two touchdowns through two different goal line situations. The Oakland defense was very stout. Brady only threw for 172 yards, and the Raider secondary mostly shut down the Patriots' passing game. The front seven pressured Brady all night - forcing a Brady fumble and another play that should have been called a fumble. Also, Antowain Smith had nowhere to run. WHAT YOU OUGHT TO KNOW New England Patriots QB: Tom Brady did not have a great night. He didn't throw a TD and he fumbled deep in Patriots territory. Brady's poor numbers weren't really his fault, though. The Patriots could not stop the Oakland pass-rush, and since the Patriots couldn't run the ball, all the pressure was on Brady to perform. Brady owners should not be too worried about this performance. WR: Not much to say here. New England's WR corps found few openings in the Oakland secondary. Troy Brown looked good, but only had 55 yards receiving and couldn't break free from tacklers. David Patten was mostly held in check and only had two catches. RB: Antowain Smith had a very average day. He found little room to run most of the night. Smith did have 64 combined yards, but the Patriots' offensive line was dominated all night by the Oakland front seven. In previous games, Kevin Faulk had taken a larger role but this time he did not touch the ball until the 4th quarter. Kevin Faulk had no carries, but he did make the game closer in the fourth quarter with a spectacular 86 yard kick return for a TD. TE: Christian Fauria and Cam Cleeland had only minimal impact in this game. Pass Defense: The Patriots pass defense netted just one sack and an interception, although they did benefit from a lucky bounce on a pass that Gannon attempted to ground, causing them to get the first of the Patriots' unlikely two defensive/special teams touchdowns. Run Defense: The Patriots allowed fewer than 100 yards rushing for the first time in weeks, but not because they played well. The Raiders ran a ball control passing offense and were able to run well when needed. /**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/**/** Oakland Ravens QB: Rich Gannon had yet another superb fantasy output. Gannon worked the short passing game masterfully all night. Gannon continued his accurate passing form the Denver game and picked apart the Patriots all night. His game was highlighted by a nice TD run in the second quarter. Gannon's only mistake was an interception that he intended to throw into the ground to end a broken play. The ball barely hit a player's foot and bounced into the hands of Patriots' Tedy Bruschi. WR: No Oakland WR had a big game, but both Tim Brown and Jerry Rice kept drives alive with key catches for first downs. Brown led Raider WRs with 71 yards. Brown's catches were all short, but they were mostly important plays. Jerry Rice didn't catch a TD this week, but he contributed with 65 yards receiving. Jerry Porter was uncharacteristically shut out with no catches, but that wasn't Porter's fault. Porter was open a few times and could have made big plays had Gannon spotted him. RB: Charlie Garner didn't score a TD, but he was a weapon Sunday night. Garner finished with 122 yards rushing and receiving. Garner nearly broke two different runs for TDs, and he's sure to score another TD soon. If Oakland gives Garner just a few more rushing attempts, it appears that he can break a long run for a TD on almost any play. Though Tyrone Wheatley only had 38 yards rushing and receiving, he was an important part of the offense. Oakland used Garner and Wheatley's strengths to wear down the Patriots' defense. Wheatley was particularly effective on a nice shovel pass from Gannon. Short-yardage back Zack Crockett scored two TDs at the goal-line. Crockett continues to be an asset in scoring-only fantasy leagues. TE: Doug Jolley seems to be emerging as a nice pass-catching TE for the Raiders. He looked impressive on his three catches, and nearly scored a TD on one of those plays. Jolley's solid play and sure hands may force the Raiders to utilize him more in this offense. Roland Williams had only one catch and continues to be used mostly as a blocker. Pass Defense: The Raiders pass rush disrupted Brady all night and was very effective in stopping the Patriots short passing game. Holding Brady to 172 yards is something. They were beaten on a couple of long plays that fell incomplete. Run Defense: The Raiders run defense was aided by a three score lead in the second half and held the Patriots as a team to 48 yards rushing. Enough said.