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The Patriots kicked off the 2025 season with a disappointing 20-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders. The Patriots fell behind 7-0 early and battled back to tie the game and take a 10-7 lead at the half. The second half was a different story as the Patriots offense went stagnant and only mustered a field goal. The defense racked up four sacks, including 2.5 from Harold Landry but it was not to slow down Raiders quarterback Geno Smith who threw for 362 yards in the win.
Here are seven points on the Patriots loss.
1. Inconsistency the word: The best word to describe the Patriots today would be inconsistent. The offense was inconsistent, the defense was inconsistent and when they needed to make a play, they could not. The team collectively looked disjointed at times and lost to a Raiders team that is quite frankly, not that good.
2. Run game non-existent: The Patriots rushed for a grand total of 60 yards. They could not establish the running game early and abandoned it in the second half when they fell behind. Mike Vrabel wants to win by running the ball, controlling the clock and dictating to the opponent. The Patriots could not do it today because they could not run the football.
3. Disappointing return for McDaniels: Josh McDaniels third tour of duty as offensive coordinator did not get off to a good start today. The Patriots only scored 13 points and while they had 347 yards of total offense, you never got the sense that they were a threat to score on the majority of their possessions. The one thing I will give McDaniels credit for is when they lined up to run the Tush Push, the Patriots ran a sweep with Tre’veyon Henderson. It was nice play design.
4. Maye was meh: Drake Maye completed 30-of-46 passes for 287 yards and a touchdown pass. He also rushed for 11 yards on 4 carries. He struggled with his accuracy, overthrowing receivers throughout the day. He also vacated the pocket too soon on several occasions. Despite his performance, Despite the inconsistency, Maye says he feels pretty comfortable in McDaniels system.
“I felt pretty good out there. I felt like I was seeing it well. Got to make some better throws, but the first time kind of adjusted from halftime, and coming in from there, yeah, just got to be better on my part.”
He will need to be more consistent for the Patriots to bounce back and win next week.
5. Landry impresses in debut: Harold Landry had an impressive debut for the Patriots racking up 2.5 sacks, 5 total tackles and 3 tackles for loss. He was a factor all game long and his ability to be disruptive allowed the Patriots to generate consistent pressure. If he stays healthy, he will be a force in this defense.
6. Boutte was the main target: Kayshon Boutte was Drake Maye’s primary target on the day. Boutte caught 6 passes for 103 yards and was a consistent middle of the field threat. He gave me Brandon LaFell vibes. Big receiver who can get open in all three levels and body up the ball. Boutte was impressive and his role will only expand in this system.
7. Patriots must learn from this: Mike Vrabel and the players to a man all said the same thing. The Patriots need to learn from this loss and move on. It is the only way this team can grown and learn. Vrabel echoed that sentiment after the game.
“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.”
To quote the former coach who claims he is not allowed to come around. “We are on to Miami.”