The New England Patriots emerged defeated in the season opener against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Let down by a puttering offensive production and poor discipline, the Patriots now look to flush more “bad football” out of their system.

September 8, 2025
Nick Zagzoug – Freelance Writer

It was a familiar sight on Sunday, as the grey Foxborough sky showered upon Gillette Stadium. Patriots HC Mike Vrabel watches stunned, mouth agape, as his team lets up yet another 20+ yard gain on a rollout pass by Raiders QB Geno Smith to WR Dont’e Thornton on 3rd and 20 late in the fourth quarter. A few pedestrian plays later, the clock shows triple zeroes as the Patriots fall 13-20 to HC Pete Carroll and his Raiders.

After an off-season that saw New England’s squad improve in basically every aspect, including uniformed personnel and coaching acumen, the Pats regressed to their 2021-2024 ways that have led them to three consecutive losing seasons: an inconsistent offense that can’t clutch up on third down, a poor secondary performance that gives up chunk plays in critical situations, and an undisciplined mental makeup that resulted in 9 penalties for 70 yards. The Patriots lacked consistency on both sides of the ball, especially on the offensive front. QB Drake Maye struggled to relocate his efficiency after a costly turnover in the third quarter and seemed hesitant to push the ball downfield throughout the game.

The good news is that Week 1 in the NFL is rarely indicative of how the season is going to shake out. Just ask former HC Jarod Mayo, who led his Patriots team to a 16-10 victory on the road against the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 1 of the 2024 season. The bad news is that Sunday’s loss to the Raiders should serve as a reminder to Pats fans that the team has a long road of development ahead of them if they are to return to an even respectable level of competitive play.

Here are my Week 1 Studs & Duds, followed by The Aftermath & Next Up:

Studs: Defensive Front Logs an Admirable Showing

The Patriots obviously targeted their pass rush and defensive front as areas that needed improvement in the off-season, offering both OLB Harold Landry and DT Milton Williams big-time contracts to come in and spark a lackluster defensive trench squad. Both players answered the call in Sunday’s contest, seeding encouragement for a better defensive front performance in 2025. Landry was the brightest spot here, tallying 2.5 sacks and 3 runs stuffed, but Williams contributed 6 QB pressures and 2 runs stuffed as well.

The Patriots’ overall defensive game plan against the run worked pretty well. RB Ashton Jeanty was limited to 38 yards on 19 carries, averaging just 2 yards per carry, though the rookie did secure his first NFL TD by bouncing off of several defenders for the go-ahead score halfway into the third quarter.

Though the overall defensive effort allowed QB Geno Smith way too much time and space to pick them apart, the front squad generated enough pressure to make the 12-year veteran uncomfortable in plenty of situations and performed well enough in run defense. Silver linings, folks.

Studs: Boutte Headlines an Underwhelming Receiver Room

Third-year WR Kayshon Boutte emerged as the lone bright spot for the Patriots offense in this matchup. The former LSU Tiger logged 103 yards on 6 receptions and 8 targets, including two 20+ yard receptions. Boutte flashed impressive hands and footwork in this game, consistently locating soft spots in the Raiders’ zone coverage. His most impressive work came outside the numbers, as Boutte displayed good field awareness and sneaky push-off separation on a couple outside come-backers. Though the 23-year-old could still use some work in the consistency department, as all but two of his receptions came in the first half, it was an encouraging first game for a team hungry for playmakers in its receiver room.

Duds: Maye Can’t Relocate His Footing After Brutal Turnover

There’s no other way to put it: QB Drake Maye stunk in this game. The second-year quarterback performed well in the first half, logging 14 completions on 20 attempts for 150 yards. This included an impressive touchdown pass to WR DeMario Douglas that showed great timing and touch on a fade-toss to the back-left corner of the end zone. Maye was also able to locate WR Kayshon Boutte for a few chunk plays in the first half, resulting in 3 20+ yard completions. Overall, though not spectacular, the young quarterback had done enough to give his team a respectable 10-7 lead going into halftime with the Patriots getting the ball to start the second half.

That’s when things fell apart. After an encouraging start to the first drive of the third quarter, Maye tossed a poorly advised ball to WR Stefon Diggs off his back foot as he was receiving a shot from DE Maxx Crosby. The Raiders took the lead off the turnover, and the Patriots offense never responded. Maye consistently sailed his short and intermediate throws, even on the rare occasions he had open receivers, and never employed his run options when lanes opened up. Though the entire offensive production was uninspired, the quarterback had left a lot of plays on the table by the end of the second half.

Duds: Secondary Unable to Limit Big Plays

This was a good day for those who were critical of the Patriots cutting S Jabrill Peppers before the season. New England started rookie S Craig Woodson and veteran S Jaylinn Hawkins at safety. Though Woodson performed admirably, turning in 5 solo tackles and 2 TFL, Hawkins had a rough day in coverage, receiving a 44.6 coverage grade from Pro Football Focus. You don’t have to conduct a deep-dive investigation to find Hawkins’s deficiencies as a pass defender, as he was trailing about 7 yards behind his mark on the TD Smith threw to WR Tre Tucker that set the tone for New England’s secondary. Hawkins was also penalized for a 15-yard Unnecessary Roughness penalty on Las Vegas’s 3rd quarter touchdown drive that put the game out of reach.

CB Cartlon Davis had a feast-or-famine day covering TE Brock Bowers. Though Davis made a big play by tipping a Smith pass into the hands of Hawkins for an interception, the big free agent signing allowed plenty of underneath passes to Bowers and company that kept drives alive in the second half. This includes the 22-yard completion to Thornton on 3rd and 20 that essentially iced the game for the Raiders late in the fourth quarter.

The Pats’ overall approach to pass defense was poor in this game, reflected by QB Geno Smith’s 362-yard, 10.6 AVG day. If the Patriots allow slightly-above-middling quarterbacks to average 10 yards per completion, they will have a very long season. More snaps together, alongside the dramatic infusion of talent that comes with reinserting CB Christian Gonzalez into the lineup, may allow this group to gel a bit better in games going forward. That’s the hope, at least.

Duds: McDaniels’s Run Game Never Gets Going Behind a Shaky Offensive Line

Going into the season, all projections had the Patriots winning games on the back of strong defensive efforts and a revitalized run game. The Patriots got neither in this game. RB Rhamondre Stevenson resumed his position at the top of the running back depth chart, to little success. Stevenson averaged just 2.1 yards on 7 carries. Rookie RB TreVeyon Henderson didn’t fare much better, averaging 5.4 yards on 5 carries. Time and further film study will be able to better diagnose the issues the run scheme had in this game, but my immediate reaction is to question the blocking of a massively turned over offensive line. New England’s new-look offensive line posted a 35% success rate running the ball, which is well below the average for all teams in week 1.

Duds: Specialists Make Errors in a Close Game

A critical False Start penalty on rookie LT Will Campbell on a 4th and 5 at their own 49 may have pushed the Patriots into punting on what should have been desperation-mode scoring drive. Instead, the ball was snapped to P Bryce Baringer in hopes that he would pin the Raiders back and prime the Patriots defense for a quick 3-and-out. Baringer then sliced his boot out of bounds for a whopping 21-yard punt, giving the Raiders possession at their own 35. Rookie K Andres Borregales missed his first field goal attempt as a pro, a 40-yard kick that he pushed wide right. I hate to be the guy picking on the specialists, but the Patriots need better performances between the margins when battling opponents in low scoring affairs like Sunday’s contest.

The Aftermath: Vrabel, Maye Take Accountability

HC Mike Vrabel spoke after the game, specifically identifying the second half effort as the key to the defeat: “We just didn’t do enough in the second half…Too many missed opportunities. Too many penalties…Didn’t take advantage of bad football…Now we’ll see where we’re at. We’ll see what kind of football team we have, what kind of leaders we have to come back in here and get to work…We’ll see where we’re at as a culture and as a team and if we have guys that want to work and stick together.” Vrabel went on to identify the need for his team to string together defensive sequences that result in higher turnover-worthy plays.

QB Drake Maye spoke as well, focusing on the team’s need to establish drives by securing the initial first down: “We just gotta get the first first down. I think once we get the first first down, I think we move the ball well and get in a rhythm…Just get the first first down and from there just make some better throws. Be more accurate.” Maye took accountability for the interception thrown in the third quarter, noting that he did not get to step into the throw due to the contact from DE Maxx Crosby.

Next Up: A Matchup with the Reeling Dolphins in Miami

The New England Patriots (0-1) will face off against the Miami Dolphins (0-1) in Hard Rock Stadium for their Week 2 contest. Both the Patriots and the Dolphins will see this game as an opportunity to get the early stages of their 2025 campaigns back on track following disappointing week 1 results.

The Dolphins are coming off of a brutal 33-8 beatdown at the hands of the QB Daniel Jones-led Indianapolis Colts, a game in which Miami QB Tua Tagavailoa went 14/23 for 114 yards, 1 touchdown, 2 interceptions, and 1 lost fumble. Tagavailoa was relieved by former Jets QB Zach Wilson, who finished the game 5/8 for 32 yards. Dolphins HC Mike McDaniel tried to turn what was an undoubtedly tough day at the office into a positive motivating factor for his team’s Week 2 tie: “The way we lost probably is an overall better way to learn an absolute lesson that never changes. I’m very motivated to get together with the team, watch the tape and keep it real and get ready for our next opponent – home game against the New England Patriots. They’re not going to feel sorry for us in the least, nor should they.”

The Patriots have a historical hill to climb if they want to emerge the better team next Sunday. The Pats are 8-12 against Miami in the last 10 years, and have not won the contest on the road since September 15, 2019 (a 43-0 demolition led by QB Tom Brady against the QB Josh Rosen-led Dolphins who would later defeat the Patriots in Foxborough to prevent them from securing a first-round bye in Brady’s last season in New England).