The New England Patriots Need to Slow Down Darren McFadden

This may be a bit blunt, but if the New England Patriots have any hope of leaving Oakland with a victory this Sunday, they have to slow down Darren McFadden. Containing McFadden has to be Bill Belichick and the defense's top priority. 

McFadden is arguably the most elusive and dynamic running back in the entire NFL, as he's ran for a league-best 393 yards. Granted, that's definitely impressive, but what's more phenomenal about McFadden is his incredible 6.4 yards per-carry average. 

In back-to-back weeks, the Patriots will be facing two of the league's top running backs. Last week it was Buffalo's Fred Jackson and this week it's Run-DMC. 

Last week against Jackson and the Bills, New England obviously did not fare well, as they walked away with a defeat. The Patriots were unable to contain Jackson, as he ran for 74 yards on just 12 carries while reeling in five passes for 87 yards in the team's come-from-behind 34-31 win. 

This week against the Raiders, the Patriots have to stop the run; that should be the biggest aspect of this week's game plan. 

The Patriots defense will certainly have their hands full. New England's Jerod Mayo spoke to the media earlier this week: 

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"McFadden is a great guy with the ball in hands...Tackling him will be an issue. We’ve been practicing that as well. Hopefully we can do good this week.

He’s a big guy and he’s fast. He has a great stiff arm and he can catch the ball out of the backfield—very explosive player. I have a little bit of a history with him. Good player and it will be a challenge for us.

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There is no debate that McFadden is a good player, as he's arguably the league's top duel-threat running back, so it's definitely going to be a major challenge for the Patriots this week. 

McFadden will likely still be productive against New England, as the Patriots are ranked 10th in run defense—so it's extremely crucial that the Patriots contain his abilities. 

In the three games so far this season, Oakland has gone 2-1. The lone loss come against the Buffalo Bills and was the only game in which McFadden was unable to cross the 100-yard mark on the ground. 

There's certainly a significant chance that New England will return to Foxborough this Sunday night with a loss, as the Raiders have all the tools to create some havoc against the Patriots. 

To sum up New England's game plan this week in just a few words: Do not let Darren McFadden beat you. 

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