For two quarters, Drake Maye looked like he was ready to take control. He was 18-of-25 for 182 yards and a touchdown, showing poise and rhythm against a Raiders defense that leaned heavily on zone coverage and got pressure on over 30 percent of dropbacks.
Maye helped lead three-straight drives in the first half that should have produced points. It seemed like he and the Patriots offense were starting to find a stride.
But early in the third quarter, with the Patriots driving again and looking to add to a 10-7 halftime lead, Maye's interception changed the trajectory of the game.
From that point on, Maye was just 7-of-12 for 51 yards before the final two-minute drive. The offense stalled, and the urgency that head coach Mike Vrabel had preached all summer about winning the second half never materialized.
"It's frustrating," Vrabel said after the game. "We have to understand how sometimes these games are going to go. 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, and… just didn't take advantage of bad football and then were able to have bad football ourselves."
"We've just got to be better," said Maye. "I think my decision on the first drive coming out was the one that killed the drive, and then from there, kind of from then on, 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, and I think it's an adjustment from halftime."
Stefon Diggs, who made his Patriots debut, emphasized the importance of supporting Maye. "He's super hard on himself. We just got to continue that positive reinforcement. Quarterback is a very hard job, so letting him know you got his back is going to be key."
Hunter Henry echoed the need for execution. "We just weren't able to execute the little details and that comes back to bite you at this level," he said.
Building off of the efficient drives of the first half and trying to extrapolate those efforts into a full 60-minute effort should be an area of focus.
On Defense: Pressure Without Enough Payoff
The Patriots defense generated consistent pressure throughout the game (38.5% pressure rate per Next Gen Stats), but Geno Smith made the most of his opportunities when he had time in the pocket, while also successfully navigating through some that pressure.
Harold Landry III had 2.5 sacks, Milton Williams posted seven pressures, and the unit blitzed on 43.6 percent of snaps, backing up promises from the summer of an aggressive, attacking approach. But the Raiders still hit on 10 explosive pass plays of 19 yards or more, including a touchdown and a key third-down conversion late in the fourth quarter against aggressive zero blitzes.
"We just didn't come out in the second half ready to take over the game," Landry said. "You can easily tell that we have so much potential on that side of the ball. We just have to be more consistent, snap in, snap out."
Jaylinn Hawkins took ownership of the breakdowns. "No matter what call, no matter what we're in, that's on us," he said. "We gave up too many explosives. That was the biggest thing."
Robert Spillane offered more insight into how the Raiders attacked the Patriots coverage. "Geno Smith did a great job with the RPO, getting linebackers sucked up, myself included. He found the soft spot in the zones behind," Spillane said. "We've got to get in the lab and focus on it. Other teams are going to try to attack us in the exact same way. They are watching the same film we are watching."
That soft spot often involved the tight ends. Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer combined for nine catches and 141 yards, continuing a trend from the summer that gave the Patriots trouble in two sets of joint practices. Tight end coverage remains a concern, especially when paired with RPO looks that manipulate linebackers and safeties.
Despite the breakdowns, the front seven showed promise. Milton Williams noted their success against the run. "We held them to under 100 yards rushing, which is always good for us. We knew Jeanty was going to get the ball. We were ready for it."
A solid run defense is a decent place to start, but eliminating the big plays will be critical for the defense moving forward.
Final Thought
The Patriots showed flashes of what they could be against the Raiders. Maye's early rhythm and the defensive pressure were encouraging. But the second half exposed issues in execution, consistency, and coverage. The team knows it.
"We all have to look at ourselves in the mirror," Henry said. "It's a long season ahead. Yes, it's just one game, but every game is important."
Boutte, who finished the game with the second 100-yard receiving game of his career, echoed the team's message of quickly turning the page. "We can be better," said Boutte. "There are a couple plays we left out on the field. Then we go to Tuesday, put this game behind us and focus on next week."
Diggs captured the emotional weight of the moment, especially for a team trying to rally behind a new head coach.
"That is a guy you want to run through a wall for," Diggs said of Mike Vrabel. "A guy that played this game, he puts a lot of time in as far as pushing us and trying to make sure we're prepared for the game. So, when you fall short in certain areas you feel a little bit of disappointment, but 24-hour rule, we'll flush it, get back to work, and show that we can be the team we want to be."
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