FOXBOROUGH, Mass. -- A look at the positional groupings utilized on offense by the New England Patriots in their 16-9 victory against the Oakland Raiders (includes penalties but not final kneel-downs):

3 WR/1 TE/1 RB -- 32 of 73

2 WR/2 TE/1 RB -- 30 of 73

2 WR/1 TE/1 FB/1 RB -- 6 of 73

2 WR/1 TE/2 RB -- 2 of 73

3 WR/1 FB/1 RB -- 1 of 73

3 WR/2 RB -- 1 of 73

3 TE/1 FB/1 RB -- 1 of 73

ANALYSIS: In Week 1, the Patriots had been forced into more 3-WR personnel groupings, and then last week, they went heavy at the line of scrimmage in a full-fledged commitment to the running game. Week 3 against the Raiders was a mix between the two. The game began with the Patriots trying to throw when they had run-based personnel on the field (2 WR/1 TE/1 FB/1 RB) and on the second drive they ran with more passing-based personnel (3 WR/1 TE/1 RB). The intentions seemed based on achieving more balance, and that theme carried through most of the game. There were times, however, when the Patriots put themselves in situations (e.g. third-and-23 on their second drive) that dictated the terms to them because of penalties and lack of execution. In a limited-possession type of game, those mistakes get magnified a bit, as do the red-zone struggles and slow starts for the offense in the first quarter and out of the halftime break.