OAKLAND, CA - OCTOBER 02: Wes Welker #83 of the New England Patriots is pushed in to the endzone for a fifteen yard touchdown catch and run by Joe Porter #28 of the Oakland Raiders in the first quarter of an NFL football game at O.co Coliseum on October 2, 2011 in Oakland, California. (Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)
Tom Brady found Wes Welker repeatedly, and the Patriots used a strong running game to polish off the Raiders in Oakland.
In a rematch of the infamous "Tuck Rule" playoff game from 2001, the New England Patriots used the potent Tom Brady-to-Wes Welker connection and a surprisingly strong running game to score an easy 31-19 victory over the Oakland Raiders.
Brady wasn't fantastic — he completed a paltry 16 of 30 throws for just 226 yards, far off his typical numbers — but he found Welker time and again to decimate the Oakland defense. Welker hauled in nine catches for 158 yards and a touchdown, his third game of more than 150 receiving yards in the 2011 NFL season.
The Patriots had almost as much success on the ground, though, as Stevan Ridley and BenJarvus Green-Ellis each topped 75 yards rushing for the Patriots.
Jason Campbell threw for 344 yards and a touchdown in the loss, and Oakland rushers combined for 160 rushing yards. But Campbell's two interceptions helped torpedo any chances the Raiders had of keeping this one close after the Patriots opened a 24-10 lead early in the third quarter.
The Patriots are 3-1 after the victory, while the Raiders fall to 2-2 with the loss.
For more on the Patriots, head over to Pats Pulpit; for more on the Raiders, check out Silver and Black Pride. For the latest updates on Week 4 NFL action, be sure to follow this StoryStream.
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