Foxboro, MA — The head coach Mike Vrabel era is off to a disappointing start following a 20-13 loss to the Raiders in Sunday's opener at Gillette Stadium.
New England went into the season with legitimate optimism. On paper, the roster is improved, the coaching is improved, and second-year QB Drake Maye looks poised to take a year-two leap. All those things could still happen. It's only one game, and it's important to keep that in mind because the knee-jerk reactions to this loss will surely be negative. As last season's opening week win in Cincinnati can attest, the season doesn't end after Week 1. That said, Vrabel emphasized winning the second half throughout training camp and in the lead-up to Sunday's game. Vegas controlled the final two quarters, outscoring New England 13-3 and out-gaining the Patriots (234 yards to 127 yards).
"We just didn't do enough in the second half. Give them credit. We certainly didn't do enough. We had too many missed opportunities, too many penalties, the turnover. We didn't take advantage of bad football, and then we had bad football ourselves. We're never going to accept losing. We have to embrace moving on, and we have to do that quickly and get these things fixed and go on the road and a division opponent," Vrabel said following Sunday's loss. "There was some good football, just certainly not consistent enough in all three phases."
As the head coach said, the Patriots were too inconsistent on both sides of the ball to be successful. The defense had an interception, four sacks, and allowed only 2.3 yards per carry to 2025 No. 6 overall pick Ashton Jeanty. However, Raiders QB Geno Smith hit nine 20-plus yard passes to accumulate 362 passing yards vs. the Pats defense. Offensively, Maye continues to search for a consistent game wire-to-wire. There are great flashes of arm talent, thoughtful ball placement, and playmaking ability. However, the offense as a whole still feels like it was grinding for yards at times, and the unit needs to be sharper situationally on drive starters, third downs, short-yardage runs, and red zone opportunities.
Many of the Patriots shortcomings seem fixable, but as Vrabel said after the loss, Sunday's game was a reminder that this team has a ways to go—a harsh reminder after such optimism this offseason following Vrabel's hiring and personnel upgrades. Simply put, this wasn't how anyone wanted the season to start, with too many glimpses of the shaky football we've seen over the last two seasons.
Here are eight takeaways as the Patriots drop to 0-1 with a Week 1 loss to the Raiders on Sunday.
1. Play of the Game: CB Carlton Davis Tips, S Jaylinn Hawkins Intercepts Raiders QB Geno Smith in the First Quarter
After getting off to a slow start, the first momentum swing in the game was in the Patriots favor when CB Carlton Davis and S Jaylinn Hawkins combined on a first-quarter interception.
The Pats free-agent addition said New England played sides in Sunday's matchup, rather than traveling with the Raiders receivers in specific matchups. In this particular play, Davis had star TE Brock Bowers on his side, so he covered Bowers man-to-man. Bowers ran a deep over route with WR Tre Tucker clearing out the sideline, and Davis perfectly undercut the route to deflect the pass in the air, while Hawkins was Johnny on the spot to catch the deflection.
"He just ran an over route. I undercut it, and as soon as I looked up, I saw the ball was coming. [Bowers] has a great catch radius, so I knew I had to get my hands up on the ball," Davis told Patriots.com. "I looked back and J-Hawk was in a good position and he made the play."
Unfortunately, the positive momentum generated by the Patriots interception, which flipped the first half in their favor, went in the other direction when Maye was intercepted in the second half. In a low-scoring affair, the giveaways by the respective offenses were two of the most significant momentum swings in the game, with the Raiders taking control following their takeaway in the second half.
On a positive note, Davis signed a lucrative three-year contract with the Patriots in free agency to make big-time plays against big-time players, and he did just that on Sunday.
2. Patriots QB Drake Maye Delivers Uneven Performance in Loss to Raiders
Among the many things that go into the let's not overreact category: Maye's second-half struggles following a third-quarter interception.
In the first two quarters, the Patriots had 199 total yards of offense while Maye was generating +0.26 expected points added per drop-back. However, that fell off in the second half, where Maye's expected points added output was just -0.30. Until he threw for 54 yards on the Pats final possession, which was essentially garbage time down 10 points, Maye was 10-of-17 for 83 yards on five second-half drives that went interception, punt, punt, punt, and punt.
Obviously, that's not all on the young quarterback. New England's passing game also struggled to generate explosive plays versus Vegas's cover-three and cover-two zone coverages. As expected, Raiders head coach Pete Carroll majored in cover three, playing three-deep coverages on 26-of-53 drop-backs for Maye (59.3%). When the Raiders weren't playing cover three, they leaned on split-safety zones such as cover-two (25.9%). By playing soft zone shells, the Raiders forced Maye to string positive plays together by picking them apart underneath.
From this perspective, if there's one big-picture concern from Sunday's game, it's that Maye seems better suited for an explosive play offense that doesn't ask him to be precise with his accuracy down-to-down. In other words, more deep shots and out-of-structure playmaking, less death by a thousand paper cuts. However, the Patriots are still searching for the right mix of supporting cast members to fit Maye's skillset, while OC Josh McDaniels leans more toward the low-variance efficiency plays rather than the volatile but splashy big-play offensive style.
For example, Maye pointed to a first-down play in the third quarter as a drive starter that he missed following his interception. With the Raiders rotating into a tricky cover-three zone, Maye saw an open Hunter Henry sitting on the left hash. Although his eyes were in the right place, Maye sailed the throw over Henry's head, leading to an incompletion. The next three plays then went pass to Henderson in the flat (-1 yards), incomplete to Boutte on third down, punt.
"It was the second drive out where they messed up the kickoff, and we had the ball on the 40. I missed high over the middle on the first down, and then on the second down, I had a chance. Just plays like that, you don't realize that those plays are going to be the ones you look back on and feel like, man, if we hit those, it's a different ballgame," Maye said. "Just got to get the first first down. I think once we get the first down, we moved the ball well and got in a rhythm."
In the McDaniels offense, drive starters, or getting the initial first down to get the ball rolling, are huge. It sets the stage for the entire drive and allows McDaniels to get into his bag. On Sunday, the Patriots second-half offense didn't execute those drive starters well enough, which is why they struggled to move the ball consistently in the loss to the Raiders. Again, let's not overreact to one game. Still, the passing game overall wasn't sharp enough to put many points on the board on Sunday.
3. Patriots Defense Surrenders Too Many Big Plays in the Passing Game
On the other side of the ball, the Patriots defense allowed nine explosive pass plays to Raiders QB Geno Smith and company on Sunday.
To his credit, Smith continues to be a fringe top-10 quarterback. Many folks around here still don't give the 12-year veteran his due, probably because he's considered a bust for the Jets and hasn't had much playoff success. Still, Smith can ball, and he has now thrown for 327 yards (last season with Seahawks) and 362 yards in his last two games vs. the Patriots – both wins.
Along with breaking in a new quarterback-coordinator pairing offensively, DC Terrell Williams is also a new play-caller for a Patriots defense undergoing a significant scheme change. Although the onus is on the players to execute, there were a few moments of aggressiveness where Smith burned the Patriots, especially against all-out pressure, where Smith hit five 20-plus yard plays.
For example, Raiders WR Tre Tucker's 26-yard touchdown in the first quarter was against a cover zero pressure on third-and-11 from the NE 26. The Pats sent seven rushers at Smith, including slot CB Marcus Jones, with Jones passing off Tucker to deep safety Jaylinn Hawkins. Unfortunately, the pressure didn't get home, and Tucker won a foot race versus Hawkins in man coverage on a deep crossing route for six.
Later in the game, the Pats ran another cover-zero blitz on a third-and-20 from the Raiders 25-yard line. The pressure got home this time, but Smith rolled right to buy himself time while rookie WR Dont'e Thornton ran past single coverage on the outside for a 36-yard gain that essentially iced the game – a fantastic off the back foot heave by Smith.
In all, Smith was 9-for-13 for 159 passing yards and a touchdown when the Patriots blitzed, an impressive 12.2 yards per pass attempt and 137.5 passer rating. When the Pats didn't blitz, Geno was a more manageable 15-for-21 for 173 yards and a pick (8.2 YPA, 76.1 rating). Blitzing the veteran quarterback, especially on third down, didn't work on Sunday.
4. Patriots Debut Reworked Offensive Line with Mixed Results
Over the offseason, the Patriots remade their offensive line, which finished second-to-last in the NFL in pass-block win rate and last in run-blocking win rate. On Sunday, the Patriots had four new starters on the line, including two rookies drafted in the top-100. If we told you that group would only surrender a 28.3 pressure rate in Week 1, we'd all be ecstatic. However, like the rest of the team, it was far from perfect.
The Pats rookies combined for three penalties, including two false starts on No. 4 overall pick Will Campbell. Campbell was also involved in a strip-sack, while Raiders star Maxx Crosby applied pressure over the right side on a T/E stunt that led to Maye's interception. New England was also inconsistent running the ball (35% success rate), especially in late-down situations (33% success rate). The pressure rate was respectable for this group, but there are plenty of areas to improve. We'll have a more detailed breakdown on the offensive line in After Further Review.
5. WR Stefon Diggs Makes Patriots Debut, WR Kayshon Boutte Shines
As for Maye's top receivers, Diggs played a more limited role than some anticipated in his Patriots debut. The star receiver was third among wide receivers with 40 snaps, catching six passes for 57 yards on seven targets. It's possible that Diggs, who is only 10 months removed from ACL surgery, was being managed in his first game back from a major injury.
That said, he delivered a vintage Diggs route on a gotta-have-it third down, which are the types of plays the Patriots were hoping to get from the star wideout. On a third-and-5 in the second half, the Pats ran a double slant concept to Maye's right, and Diggs beat man coverage to move the chains. Although we'd gladly take explosive plays from Diggs, the chain-moving catches are also huge – a true safety blanket for Maye.
Along with Diggs debuting, third-year WR Kayshon Boutte built on a strong summer to have his second career 100-yard receiving game (six catches, 103 yards). In fact, Boutte now has consecutive 100-yard games going back to the 2024 season. Boutte's ability to win on vertical stems, showing great chemistry with Maye on back-shoulder fades, led to several big plays.
6. EDGE Harold Landry Impresses in Patriots Debut, Pats D-Line a Bright Spot
If you're looking for silver linings, the veteran edge rusher and the Patriots defensive line was a bright spot in Sunday's loss. Landry tallied 2.5 sacks, five total pressures, and three run stuffs. He hurried Smith on one third down play where his first step off the line flashed, leading to a sack by Hawkins, while he got home for multiple sacks himself.
On a huge third-quarter sack, the Patriots ran mirrored T/E stunts from a four-man front, with Landry working alongside DT Milton Williams. Landry's ability to turn a tight corner and his closing burst were on full display, looping around Williams's pick to close the pocket.
Speaking of Williams, the Pats free-agent addition was terrific, too, logging a team-high six total pressures and a pair of run stuffs. Overall, the Pats defensive line held Jeanty in check and pressured Smith on 32.5% of his drop-backs with four sacks – a promising start.
7. Patriots Lean on Rhamondre Stevenson & TreVeyon Henderson in Backfield
There were ongoing discussions about how the Patriots would split their running back snaps between Stevenson, Gibson, and explosive rookie TreVeyon Henderson. On Sunday, it was mostly Stevenson (46 snaps) and Henderson (25 plays). We'll have to take a closer look at the film to see how the Raiders limited New England to 3.3 yards per rush and a 35 percent success rate. The Pats inability to run the ball was disappointing, as was them failing to get Henderson in space. Vegas didn't play much man coverage, which prevented the Patriots from isolating Henderson on the Vegas' linebackers. Still, the rookie needs to provide the big plays in this offense, so the onus is on McDaniels to get him in space.
8. Rookie K Andy Borregales Goes 2-for-2 in NFL Debut, More on Special Teams
Patriots rookie K Andy Borregales didn't get off to the start he wanted when he missed a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter, but he bounced back by making a 35-yarder. The Pats also got a big return from Gibson (41 yards), as the dynamic kickoff continues to be a weapon for them to flip field position. As for P Bryce Baringer, Vrabel wasn't pleased post-game with Baringer's 21-yard punt late in the fourth quarter. The Pats HC opted to punt on 4th-and-10 from his own 44-yard line down 10 points with 4:53 to go. The goal was to pin the Raiders deep, get a three-and-out, and get the ball back in favorable field position. However, Baringer's punt set the Raiders up at their own 35-yard line.
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
