A week after beating the Buffalo Bills, the New England Patriots gave every indication they were back with a lopsided 45-17 victory over the visiting Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
For a second straight week, Drake Maye looked much more like last year’s MVP finalist than the iffy passer who struggled in September. He finished 26 of 34 for 374 yards, four passing touchdowns and a fifth rushing, connecting on a number of perfectly placed throws along the way. The Patriots’ 45 points and 536 yards of offense are the most New England has had in a regular season game since 2021.
Meanwhile, the Patriots’ pass rush caused crises for the Raiders’ offense, as Kirk Cousins was constantly under siege. The 17 points collected by Las Vegas was the lowest of the season.
The negatives for the Patriots: Left tackle Will Campbell (knee) and running back TreVeyon Henderson (ankle) left injured in the first half and did not return. With the game out of reach, No. 1 pick Fernando Mendoza entered the game for his first regular-season action, leading a Raiders drive that ended with a missed fourth-down attempt in the red zone. Mendoza went 6 of 8 for 48 yards.
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Best plays from Raiders @ Patriots
Is Drake Maye officially back?
Oh, yes, make no mistake: Maye’s incidents from the first three weeks are now a distant memory. Maye is back to playing like an MVP.
It’s hard to play this position better than Maye did on Sunday. He scrambled well, he hit several deep shots and, most impressively, he dominated with an understaffed supporting cast. His two best receivers – AJ Brown and Mack Hollins – were injured. His left tackle, Campbell, left early due to injury. Same with Henderson.
And it still didn’t matter.
With a group of receivers led by Kyle Williams, Efton Chism and DeMario Douglas, Maye showed he was back from the early struggles that plagued him and the Patriots during a 1-2 start to the season.
Maye made 40-yard passes look easy, leaving perfect throws to Eli Raridon along the sideline and Williams in the end zone. With Brown out, Maye spread the love and helped five different players score 40+ receiving yards, four with 55+ yards.
This game was about as good as it gets for an NFL quarterback. — Chad Graff, Patriots beat writer
What happened to the Raiders’ defense — and is it a sign of tough days ahead?
It didn’t work together. When things went well this year, the Raiders’ pass rush and pass coverage complemented each other. In previous games, when the pressure couldn’t affect the quarterback, the secondary held up. And when defensive backs were beaten, Maxx Crosby and company usually found a way to make a play. Not Sunday.
It was obvious Maye would have all day to throw with no defenders nearby when he hit Douglas for the game’s opening touchdown. This was created by a broken coverage by Raiders rookie safety Treydan Stukes, leaving Douglas wide open. Stukes, who was impressive early in his career and played a key role in Las Vegas’ success, had his worst game as a professional.
Lacking rushing passes off base, Rob Leonard resorted to blitzing. This put more pressure on the secondary, which rookie corner Hezekiah Masses couldn’t handle. He was beaten for a pair of touchdown passes and benched for Darien Porter. But Porter wasn’t much better.
The Raiders’ tackling was also among the worst we’ve seen this season, making a previously lackluster Patriots rushing attack look formidable.
Leonard’s creativity helped the Raiders early in the season. Their talent for creating turnovers too. But even with another forced fumble on Sunday, they were exposed. Against better teams, Las Vegas’ inexperience and rebuilding talent level shows. — Sam Warren, Raiders beat writer
Is this Patriots team equipped to handle an absence of Campbell and/or Henderson?
The task ahead is difficult for the Patriots, who already had a long injury list. And while injuries to Campbell and Henderson hurt given the lack of depth behind them, Mike Vrabel’s team is showing it can overcome a lot. If this is what the Patriots can do without their best receiver (AJ Brown) and best cornerback (Christian Gonzalez), consider what they can do later this season if they are healthy.
Campbell’s injury stings because of the way he was playing. After a poor run in the playoffs last season, Campbell took a lot of criticism during the offseason only to return to play at a very high level. It’s good for the Patriots that they have Caleb Lomu ready to step in, but the depth after that is really thin, and based on training camp, it’s a significant drop-off in performance from Campbell to Lomu.
Henderson’s importance to the team was evident in the first half. Although Rhamondre Stevenson has outperformed him this season, if Henderson is out the team must turn to Corey Kiner when Stevenson needs rest. On Kiner’s first carry on Sunday, he fumbled.
Even though Stevenson is the team’s best back, Henderson is an important part of this offense, and the Patriots could use him again soon. Again, they showed on Sunday that this team is capable of overcoming many injuries. -Graff
With all the investment in the offensive line and running back, how concerning is the recent performance (or lack thereof) of the Raiders’ running game?
It’s been concerning since Week 2. Ashton Jeanty’s 102-yard game in the season opener now seems like a total outlier, as he hasn’t managed to do anything since.
He entered Sunday averaging 3.4 yards per carry, ranking 40th among 48 qualified rushers. And it didn’t get any better on Sunday. Jeanty totaled 27 yards on 10 carries. He entered the game questionably with ankle and foot injuries and didn’t look 100 percent, unable to push past defenders to beat them to open space. But the Raiders were counting on him to lead the backfield, an interesting move considering the promise rookie Mike Washington Jr. showed.
The Raiders managed to make up for their difficulties with temporary success. But the Patriots’ ability to pressure Kirk Cousins made third-and-long situations too difficult to overcome. This is what allowed New England to take a considerable lead. A one-dimensional offense was finally going to catch up with the Raiders at some point. —Warren
What did you think of Fernando Mendoza’s first NFL action?
The benefit of getting blown out means you get to play your rookie quarterback in a pressure-free environment. Mendoza looked prepared in his debut.
He got a third-down conversion after making reads on his second career pass. And on his third throw, he hit Tre Tucker for a gain of 16. Later, he escaped a sack and found running back Dylan Laube in control. Practice stopped after blitzes took place on third and fourth downs. Still, Mendoza’s athleticism showed, as he turned the corner and his run nearly converted a fourth down.
Success comes with a grain of salt, as the Patriots played somewhat conservatively on the back end, allowing some cushioning for the pass catchers. But Mendoza didn’t seem overwhelmed when called upon. Giving him some action in the game is a small positive in a very disappointing afternoon for the Raiders. —Warren
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