The New England Patriots opened a new era under head coach Mike Vrabel with an underwhelming 20-13 loss Sunday afternoon to the Las Vegas Raiders.
The offense sputtered in the return of offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels while Raiders quarterback Geno Smith carved up New England’s defense under first-year coordinator Terrell Williams.
New England dropped the opener in front of the crowd at Gillette Stadium. Now sitting at 0-1 before next week’s trip to Miami, here are five takeaways from the Patriots’ loss.
1. Defense will send pressure
Williams and Vrabel wasted no time embracing their identity and sent extra rushers against Smith all afternoon. The impact didn’t show out as Las Vegas passer still racked up 366 yards through the air on the afternoon.
Edge rusher Harold Landry III, who played at Boston College and under Vrabel with the Tennessee Titans, benefited from the aggressive play-calling with 2 1/2 sacks in his New England debut.
2. WR1 getting involved
Stefon Diggs, making his return to game action after tearing his ACL last season, took a half to get going Sunday afternoon. Drake Maye rarely targeted him in the first half, though Diggs made his impact in the middle of the field after halftime.
The veteran wideout finished the day with six catches for 57 yards in his Patriots debut.
3. Maye must fix this repeat offense
Maye is still the young talent the Patriots believe he is and will be moving forward. With that said, his biggest flaw remains a tendency to sail throws high from the pocket.
That cost him on a second-half interception, though he did get hit by star pass rusher Maxx Crosby on the play. He also nearly lost a fumble in the fourth quarter. Turnovers were a regular part of the Maye experience in 2024. If the Patriots hope to be in the playoff mix in 2025, Maye still needs to take better care of the football.
4. Pump the brakes?
The national media quickly took to the overhauled Patriots roster under Vrabel with several predictions for New England to break a four-year playoff drought.
Las Vegas has offensive weapons and a proven head coach in Pete Carroll, but Sunday still offered a reminder that the Patriots are probably further from contention that we originally thought.
But maybe that’s a Week 1 overreaction. There’s sure to be a few of those.
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