Rex Burkhead's Three Touchdowns Lead Patriots In Blowout Win Over Raiders
FOXBORO (CBS) -- It what may come to be known as The Rex Burkhead game, the Patriots shook off a slow offensive start to essentially blow out the Las Vegas Raiders, 36-20, on Sunday afternoon at Gillette Stadium.
Burkhead turned in the first three-touchdown game of his career, scoring twice on the ground and once through the air. Overall, he had 49 rushing yards and the two scores on six carries, plus 49 yards and a touchdown on seven receptions.
With the win, the Patriots improve to 2-1 on the year, while the Raiders drop to 2-1.
Cam Newton completed 17 of his 28 passes for 162 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also rushed for 27 yards on seven carries.
Derrek Carr completed 24 of his 32 passes for 261 yards with two touchdowns and no picks, but he did cough up the football in his own end zone, leading to a New England defensive score.
Late in a first quarter that was lacking in offense, the Raiders got on the board first with a field goal. That drive came after Newton threw an interception to Joanthan Abram, giving the Raiders the ball at the New England 14-yard line.
The Patriots responded with a scoring drive of their own, likewise settling for a field goal. Newton missed N'Keal Harry on a third-and-10 passing attempt, leading to a successful 33-yard field goal for Nick Folk to tie the game at 3-3 early in the second quarter.
Following a Chase Winovich strip sack and Lawrence Guy fumble recovery, the Patriots mounted another scoring drive. Though they were stopped on the Las Vegas 5-yard line, Folk kicked his second field goal of the game to give New England a 6-3 lead.
The Patriots made it a 13-3 lead before halftime with a methodical 12-play, 86-yard drive that ended with Rex Burkhead catching a pass out of the backfield, juking Jonathan Abram in the open field, and then flying across the goal line for the first touchdown of the game.
That double-digit lead was brief though, as the Raiders marched right down the field, thanks to a 28-yard pass interference penalty on Stephon Gilmore and a 26-yard completion from Carr to Hunter Renfrow. That was initially ruled a touchdown, but Renfrow was ruled down on the 1-yard line after review. The Raiders scored a touchdown on the next play though, cutting New England's lead to 13-10 at halftime.
The Raiders nearly tied things up coming out of halftime, on a drive kept alive by a Joejuan Williams holding penalty on a third down stop. But Daniel Carlson missed the 41-yard field goal attempt for the Raiders, keeping the deficit at three.
The Patriots then drove 69 yards on seven plays, with Sony Michel bursting through the middle of the line for a 38-yard gain to flip the field. Burkhead then picked up 15 yards on a catch-and-run from the right flat before rushing for a touchdown from five yards out to put the Patriots up 20-10.
On the Patriots' next drive, a 48-yard run by Sony Michel put the Patriots in position for a field goal to stretch their lead to 23-10.
1. Set a career-high.
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 27, 2020
2. Break it.
3. Top the 100-yard mark for the game.
48-yard run for @Flyguy2stackz!
????: @NFLonCBS pic.twitter.com/2ZXh55eYFI
The Raiders drove deep into Patriots territory but got stopped at the 5-yard line, settling for a field goal that made the score 23-13.
Newton and the Patriots offense then put the game out of reach with yet another long, methodical scoring drive. This one ended with yet another Burkhead touchdown, a 2-yard cutback run which came after Burkhead ran for 14 yards on the previous play. Nick Folk missed the extra point, making the score 29-13 with 5:15 left to play.
The Raiders then made a mess of the ensuing kick return, with Jalen Richard taking the ball out of the end zone, only to get tackled at the 11-yard line. A penalty on Devontae Booker for an illegal block pushed Las Vegas back to their own 6-yard line, and on the first offensive play of that drive, Carr was sacked in the end zone by Shilique Calhoun and Deatrich Wise. It was initially ruled a safety, but an automatic replay review turned it into a defensive touchdown fro Wise. The Folk PAT made it 36-13 Patriots.
The Raiders mounted a touchdown drive that ended with a Carr-to-Renfrow connection, cutting the Patriots' lead to 16 points. But that drive took 3:15 off the clock. The ensuing onside kick was unsuccessful, allowing the Patriots to drain the remaining time in the game.
The Patriots will head to Kansas City next weekend to face the Chiefs.