Experts share their picks for the Patriots Week 1 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Mike Reiss, ESPN:
Pick: Patriots 28, Raiders 24
How the Patriots defend TE Brock Bowers will be one of many intriguing storylines, and WR Stefon Diggs turning it up in practice was noted by QB Drake Maye.
Stephania Bell, ESPN: Patriots
Matt Bowen, ESPN: Patriots
Mike Clay, ESPN: Patriots
Chris Fowler, ESPN: Patriots
Dan Graziano, ESPN: Patriots
Kalyn Kahler, ESPN: Raiders
Pamela Maldonado, ESPN: Raiders
Eric Moody, ESPN: Patriots
Jason Reid, ESPN: Raiders
Lindsey Thiry, ESPN: Patriots
Seth Wickersham, ESPN: Patriots
NFL.com
Ali Bhanpuri, NFL.com: Raiders 20, Patriots 15
Brooke Cersosimo, NFL.com: Raiders 19, Patriots 16
Dan Parr, NFL.com: Raiders 23, Patriots 20
Gennaro Filice, NFL.com: Patriots 17, Raiders 13
Tom Blair, NFL.com: Raiders 22, Patriots 20
Why Gennaro picked the Patriots: Fascination abounds with both offenses in this matchup. The Patriots significantly upgraded Drake Maye's supporting cast during the offseason, while the Raiders remodeled their Brock Bowers-led attack by adding a plus quarterback in Geno Smith and a bell-cow back in Ashton Jeanty. Yet, despite all that, I think this game will be decided by defense -- specifically, New England's defense. With Mike Vrabel taking over as head coach, the Patriots aggressively fortified all three levels of the D by signing four new starters in free agency: DT Milton Williams, OLB Harold Landry III, ILB Robert Spillane and CB Carlton Davis III. Furthermore, interior disruptor Christian Barmore is back in the fold after missing most of last season due to blood clot issues. All in all, this defense has the makings of a group that could fly up the rankings in 2025. In Las Vegas, though, new coach Pete Carroll has his work cut out for him on the defensive side of the ball. Maxx Crosby's a one-man army, to be sure, but the rest of the unit looked extremely underwhelming before the shocking release of Christian Wilkins. With Vrabel and Carroll right at home in a low-scoring slobberknocker, New England gets just enough plays from new toys like TreVeyon Henderson to eke out a hard-fought win.
Pete Prisco, CBS Sports:
Pick: Raiders 24, Patriots 23
This is a long first trip for the Pete Carroll-led Raiders. The Patriots will have Mike Vrabel making his debut as coach as well. The Patriots should be improved this season, but I think Geno Smith will do enough here to pull it out late. Carroll gets more revenge against the team that fired him.
Cody Benjamin, CBS Sports: Raiders
Jared Dubin, CBS Sports: Patriots
Ryan Wilson, CBS Sports: Patriots
John Breech, CBS Sports: Patriots
Tyler Sullivan, CBS Sports: Patriots
Dave Richard, CBS Sports: Patriots
Jamey Eisenburg, CBS Sports: Patriots
Pro Football Talk
Mike Florio: Patriots 23, Raiders 17
Chris Simms: Patriots 23, Raiders 17
Paul Perillo, Patriots.com:
Pick: Patriots 23, Raiders 17
Mike Vrabel era gets off to a great start behind a balanced rushing attack.
Mike Dussault, Patriots.com:
Pick: Patriots 20, Raiders 16
A Week 1 matchup with two new head coaches and largely remade teams is hard to predict. The Raiders have the star power to make the difference but the Patriots are playing at home and have some underrated talent of their own that is still under the radar. Pats hang on for a win.
Evan Lazar, Patriots.com:
Pick: Patriots 23, Raiders 20
With two new coaching staffs, there's a lot of unknowns about how the two teams will approach this game. I trust Vrabel, McDaniels and the Patriots staff to make the necessary in-game adjustments to win at home.
DISCLAIMER: The views and thoughts expressed in this article are those of the writer and don't necessarily reflect those of the organization. Read Full Disclaimer
