Patriots Pillage Raiders

Wes Welker scores his fifth TD of the season

In last week's loss against the Bills, the main issue for the Patriots was Tom Brady's four turnovers.  A repeat performance was unlikely, though, and Brady bounced back by not allowing a single turnover by tossing two touchdowns on 226 yards as he passed Joe Montana for the ninth spot on the career passing TD list.  Next up on the list is Vinny Testaverde, whom Brady trails by just one touchdown.

Brady's numbers dipped a bit from the season's first three games as the Patriots focused more on their running game.  Critics had argued the Pats were becoming a one-dimensional team by relying so heavily on Brady, making him throw the ball 40+ times a game, but yesterday's 31-19 victory over the Raiders showed New England can still get the job done on the ground.  Green-Ellis continued his fine season by rushing for a touchdown and 75 yards on 16 carries, while Stevan Ridley made the most out of his ten carries by running for 97 yards and a touchdown.

Wes Welker enjoyed another monster game by racking up 158 receiving yards and a touchdown on just nine catches.  On the other side of the ball, the defense, which has been somewhat disappointing to date, effectively suppressed Oakland's running game, a 30 yard run from Jacoby Ford notwithstanding.  And while they allowed Jason Campbell to throw for 344 yards on 25/39 passing, Safety Patrick Chung came up with a big interception in the end zone late in the first half to preserve New England's 17-10 advantage. 

The Pats improved to 3-1 on the young season with the victory, and they'll have to be at their best when the Jets (2-2) come to town this holiday weekend for a divisional clash.  The game will be on CBS at 4:15.