One down, 18 to go.

It's one win down and 18 to go on the Patiots quest for a perfect 19-0 season. No one in the organization will tell you that their goal is to go undefeated, but I will. 3 out of 4 superbowls in an era where the league tries as hard as it can to have 32 teams go 8-8 and still not considered the best team of all time. You've got to think that Belichick, Brady, Harrison and co have their sights on the ultimate goal, an undefeated season. To cap off a 4th superbowl in 5 years by going undefeated would solidify them as immortals in football history. They'll have trophy's named after them, they'll get to the hall of fame, they'll be able to tell their grandkids that they were the best that ever was. And they'll be no more nay-sayers. Just my opinion, but what else is there for them to accomplish, how else would they find motivation if not in a perfect season?

Not that they were perfect on Thursday night, but in true Patriot fashion they did enough to win. By the middle of the third quarter the nation new who was the better team, the Pats dominated. Here's the stats:

Brady was 24 of 38 for 306yds and 2 TD's

Dillon had 23 carries for only 63 yards.
Keep in mind that Oakland defensive coordinator Rob Ryan was an
assistant with the Pats as recently as 2 years ago. True to the
Belichick tradition, Ryan 'took away' one of the Pats weapons. They
overplayed the run with the thought that they were going to make
Brady beat them through the air.

Branch had 7 catches for 99yds and a TD
Troy Brown quietly had a nice game with 6 catches for 51yds.

On Defense, the game really turned around once the Pats switched from the 3-4 to the 4-3. Many wonder, with the obvious strength of this team being the D Line, why Belichick insists on using a 3-4 scheme. The play of the game had to be Wilfork's interception. Not only was it a great play, but the Pats also scored on the ensuing posession and that was the end of the Raiders. If I'd have told you that the team leader in interceptions after week one was going to be Wilfork, you'd have stopped reading this blog.

The Raiders were a feeble 4-13 on third down conversions. The Pats weren't much better, only converting on 6 of 16 3rd downs. That will have to improve at Carolina next week.

Some random game notes:

The win was Belichicks 100th as a head coach dating back to the Browns.

Warren Sapp on Tom Brady, "We've got to prerssure him and get him on the ground and try to get the ball. He's special. I'll give him that. He's special."

Brady's 300 yd performance marks only the 9th time in his career that he's gone over 300yds.

The Patriots are now 25-3 (.893) all-time at Gillette Stadium.

Vince Wilfork talks about his interception: “We had to get the quarterback off of his spot. Once I saw Jarvis make a few moves inside, the ball popped out as he tried to throw it and it was right over one of his offensive linemen’s should pads. So I had to reach over his shoulder pads and get it. My eyes got big. So big. I think that play gave our defense a boost. It especially gave me a boost.”

PK Sam has been signed to the practice squad.

Tomorrow I'll post some thoughts from Belichick's Monday press conference.