Image courtesy of Las Vegas Review Journal
FOXBOROUGH – That was an early 2000s-like ass kicking on Sunday.
With the 2001 team in the house at Gillette Stadium for the 25th anniversary of the Super Bowl that started it all, the Patriots put on a performance that would have made those Brady-Belichick teams proud.
New England had 536 yards of total offense and Drake Maye was nearly perfect in a 45-17 dismantling of the Raiders.
Maye finished 26-34 with 374 yards and four touchdowns. Most importantly, New England didn’t have a single turnover. Efton Chism III continued his two-week run, leading the team along with Eli Raridon in receptions (5) and yards (57). Rhamondre Stevenson added 13 carries for 64 yards and a touchdown.
“I’m happy, there’s just a lot of things we have to do to improve,” Mike Vrabel said postgame, seemingly not thrilled with the overall performance. “We have to come back and…again, the players, the effort in which they play with and being able to get stops in the red zone, and finish off drives and not let penalties effect us…like, those are all positives. Those are all things that crumbled us early in the year, especially offensively.
“We were able to overcome that, but eventually you’re not going to be able to overcome some of the mistakes we made and some of the penalties. We’re never going to be satisfied. We’re going to enjoy this, we’re going to get back to work, figure out who’s available and try to put a plan together to beat the Jets here at home in another division game.”
This one was pretty much over at halftime, despite the Pats only leading 21-7.
New England struck first less than three minutes in on a 35-yard TD pass from Maye to Pop Douglas, his first of two touchdowns on the afternoon. An impressive Raiders drive to respond ended with a Brock Bowers 13-yard touchdown from Kirk Cousins, but it was all Patriots the rest of the half.
A one-yard touchdown run for Stevenson with 1:30 left in the first made it 14-7, capping an 11-play, 84-yard drive.
One of the only negatives of the day for New England came two drives later when Corey Kiner fumbled at the New England 20, but a missed field goal from 49-yards out off the left upright negated any issue that may have caused.
Just five plays later – set up largely by a 26-yard catch and run by Hunter Henry on a screen – Maye found Henry again from 11-yards out in the final 30 seconds for the 14-point lead at the break.
“I’m just proud of the guys for stepping up,” said Maye. “Offense, defense, overall as a football team. That’s a…I think we talk about identity with Coach Vrabel. That’s a Coach Vrabel football team of stepping up, being ready to take advantage of your opportunity. He always says, when somebody gets their opportunity, he’s excited to watch them play.
“I think guys are living that and you saw that today.”
Following a halftime ceremony where Adam Vinatieri received his Pro Football Hall of Fame ring from Robert Kraft, the Pats doubled up the old fashioned way, scoring a handful of plays into the second half on a 34-yard dime from Maye to Kyle Williams down the left sideline, pushing it to 28-7.
The Raiders cut it to 28-10 with. 46-yard field goal, but the Pats quickly responded with a 10-play drive that ended with a three-yard touchdown run for Maye. Four plays later, Kevin Byard forced a fumble after a Bowers reception and Craig Woodson recovered at the Pats’ 42.
Early in the fourth, Andy Borregales booted a 28-yard field goal. Former UNH star Dylan Laube punched in a two-yard TD about four minutes later, but an eight-yard touchdown to a wide open Douglas in the final six minutes capped the dominant day for New England.
The major news – aside from the win – that came out of this one was injuries to Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson.
The list of injuries reads like a CVS receipt, but Mike Vrabel knows that’s the way life goes in the NFL.
The Pats will have to keep it rolling against the Jets back in Foxborough next Sunday before a short week matchup in Chicago a week from Thursday.
“‘Cause that’s what it has to be. You know what I mean? It’s, we try not to panic. We try not to, uh… We just try to get the next guy ready,” Vrabel added. “We ask everybody to prepare as a starter, so credit to the football players, you know, particularly the guys on this team, uh, the guys that we’ve tried to bring in here.
“And they realize that when you get an opportunity and you do something with it, then you get more opportunities.”