The New England Patriots moved to 2-1 in their season with a narrow 16-9 win over the Oakland Raiders at Gillette Stadium.
The Raiders showed patience on offense as quarterback Derek Carr moved his offense down the field, but a negative play forced them to settle for a 49-yard field goal from the boot of Sebastian Janikowski.
New England struggled on offense in the first quarter as Tom Brady failed to pass for a single yard, but he found his rhythm in the second to fire his side ahead with a six-yard strike to Rob Gronkowski.
The Patriots drove to the five-yard line before the break but a poor snap by Dan Connolly forced them to settle for a field goal from the boot of Stephen Gostkowski from 21 yards.
In the second half, Oakland reduced the arrears to four points when Janikowski drilled a field goal through the posts from 37 yards.
The Raiders closed the gap as Carr moved his side into a threatening position again, but they could only score three points from the boot of Janikowski again.
New England moved the ball well into the redzone as Brady found Tim Wright and Kenbrell Thompkins for big gains, but they were held to a 20-yard field goal from Gostkowski.
Gostkowski added another field goal to give his side a seven-point lead, but the Raiders moved to the four-yard line of the home side with seconds left in the game with a chance to send it to overtime. However, Vince Wilfork came up with a crucial interception to hand his side the victory.
Simon Sinclair
