Courtesy of Tim Crowley By Tyler Amaral NEFJ Staff Football is officially back in Massachusetts. Week 1 featured some chalk results and some surprises. Our top three of Xaverian, Catholic Memorial and St. John’s Prep all held serve. After the top three, plenty of teams moved either up or down in this week’s Top 25. Canton and Methuen are new additions this week. The Bulldogs pounded Franklin 34-0, while Methuen…
A Harsh Welcome; Patriots learn a hard lesson in 20-13 loss to Raiders
The Mike Vrabel era in New England began with a brutal reality check. A 20-13 season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Gillette Stadium was a lesson that the Patriots still have a long way to go. It was the kind of football that will not fly in New England anymore. The Patriots showed flashes of potential, but ultimately, a lack of discipline and anemic second-half offense sealed their fate.
7 Points on the Patriots 20-13 loss to the Raiders
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.
Raiders 20, Patriots 13 – Offense struggles in season opening loss
Image courtesy of AP Photo (Charles Krupa) FOXBOROUGH – Well, that certainly didn’t go how any of us hoped. This was supposed to be different. The offense was supposed to be better. The defense was supposed to be better. Mike Vrabel’s team was supposed to play a cleaner, more entertaining brand of football. Instead in the rainy season opener on Sunday at Gillette Stadium, the offense mustered just 10 points…
Victor Cruz inducted into UMass Hall of Fame
By Ryan Barry NEFJ Correspondent AMHERST – Located just 6.5 miles north of the campus of the University of Massachusetts, Amherst sits Mount Sugarloaf. With its sweeping views of the Pioneer Valley and open rock faced slopes to its south, one could say there’s enough room for a “Mount Rushmore” should anyone ever be interested in such a project. If the UMass Athletics department were up to task, no doubt…
New England college round up – Week 2
Once again, we had 13 of the 17 local teams in action this weekend and what a weekend it was. Blowouts, crazy finishes and statement games. As always, check out game stories from some of the action over the weekend on the site. Here’s a recap of all the other stuff you might have missed: Rhode Island 31, Stony Brook 17 The No. 8 nationally-ranked Rams moved to 2-0 overall…
Key takeaways from BC’s double OT loss to Michigan State
Image courtesy of BC Athletics Boston College had a chance to make a statement in prime time on Saturday night when the Eagles took on Michigan State on the road. BC did make a statement, going toe-to-toe with a good Big 10 opponent, putting up 40 points on offense. Unfortunately, the Eagles gave up two more points, losing 42-40 in a wild double overtime shootout. There’s reasons to be encouraged…
Patriots Four Down Preview: Las Vegas Raiders (0-0) at New England Patriots (0-0)
Kickoff: The Patriots open the 2025 regular season at home today against the Las Vegas Raiders. Expectations are high for this season but this will be a challenging game for the Patriots . We will have a pretty good idea of just what the Patriots could be this season after today. At least from an identity standpoint and how they play.
30 years of Patriots football through the eyes of Marc Cappello
If you tune in to 98.5 The Sports Hub on Sunday for the Patriots’ season opener against the Raiders, you’ll hear familiar voices. Bob Socci and Scott Zolak have become fan favorites and a part of New Englander’s Sunday routine. The duo has enhanced some of the biggest moments in franchise history with grace and some flare, inscribing themselves in history forever with memorable calls. But, there’s been a third…
Top 5 Match-Ups to Watch in the Raiders vs. Patriots Game
The Patriots kick off the 2025 regular season against a Las Vegas Raiders team that they have some match-up advantages against, especially on offense. Defensively, the Raiders offense will present a lot of challenges but the Patriots can match up from a personnel standpoint. Here are five match ups to watch.