After an exciting offseason filled with new signings, high draft picks and a new coaching staff, the New England Patriots took on the Las Vegas Raiders in their first game of the season. Despite being favored to win by three points, New England put in a very disappointing performance, losing 20-13 against one of the few teams that struggled as much as them last season.
The Patriots’ performance was poor, particularly on offense. All things considered, Maxx Crosby was kept quiet: his one sack wasn’t a make-or-break for the Patriots. Instead, the downfall of New England came through their run game, or lack thereof. Rhamondre Stevenson’s seven carries led to just 15 yards, and if TreVeyon Henderson’s 14-yard run is omitted, he comes in at just 3.3 yards per carry. Antonio Gibson saw just one touch.
The Patriots were far more effective at passing the ball. Drake Maye was streaky as usual and had some bad misses, including a first down miss to Hunter Henry. Maye was 30/46 with 287 yards and a touchdown to Pop Douglas. The passing offense was bailed out on a fourth down by what, in my opinion, was a weak pass interference call on Raiders’ cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly. Kayshon Boutte was tremendous, recording 103 yards from six catches. He was the only consistent chain mover, but Henry and Stefon Diggs each played solid roles. Henry had four catches for 66 yards, while Diggs nabbed six balls for 57 yards. Rookie Kyle Williams had a late catch that was the first of his career. The passing game was far better, but there was little to no support from the run game at all. Andy Borregales’ 40-yard field goal miss didn’t help the team’s cause either.
As a whole, the play calling from Josh McDaniels was incredibly disappointing. A third-and-one pitch to Stevenson was stuffed, and a fourth-and-one deep shot was only remedied by the previously mentioned not-so-obvious pass interference. The sheer number of unsuccessful first down runs was maddening, and the play calling didn’t change following their continued lack of success. Despite all the hype McDaniels’ return has gotten, it seems like more of the same overly conservative play calling that has led to uncompetitive post-Brady offenses in the past.
Defensively, the Patriots stood up admirably against the run. Raiders’ Ashton Jeanty, the No. 6 pick, took 19 carries for 38 yards, an abysmal two yards a pop. Exclude the first drive, and he dips under one-and-a-half per touch. Zamir White’s three touches were for just eight yards. The defensive line and linebackers looked stout.
Geno Smith, as odd as it might be for Patriots fans, is a legitimate starting quarterback. The veteran has come a long way from his Jets days, where his tenure was plagued with interceptions and off-field immaturity. He passed for 362 yards and found Tre Tucker for a touchdown. The interception he threw to Jaylinn Hawkins was tipped, and the Pats had no answer to his connection with either Brock Bowers or Jakobi Meyers, who totaled 200 yards. Carlton Davis struggled throughout, recording a 57.7 PFF grade and giving up a game sealing deep ball to rookie Dont’e Thornton on third-and-20.
The Patriots will face off against the Dolphins on Sunday, Sept. 14 at 1 p.m. Miami is one of the few teams that had a more disappointing week than New England did, allowing 33 points to the Daniel Jones led Colts, 20 in the first half, and not scoring their eight total points until late into the fourth. The Dolphins had 41 first half yards.
Nonetheless, the Patriots went 0-2 against Miami last season, and if Week 1 is any indication of the Patriots’ future, that may repeat itself. Christian Gonzalez will likely return for Week 2 to pair with Davis at cornerback, so the team should have the corners to handle their talented receiver corps. While the Week 1 loss hurts, getting back on track with a divisional win would be a major step in the right direction for New England. As of now, I feel that a win is in the cards, but not confidently. For now, I’d wager the Patriots get the best of their division foe, 21-14.