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6 takeaways from Patriots’ 20-13 loss to Raiders
Drake Maye and the Patriots’ offense couldn’t generate any sort of momentum down the stretch after a promising first half.
FOXBOROUGH — What was looking like a promising season debut for Drake Maye and the Patriots quickly turned into a dreary result in Foxborough.
After going into halftime with a 10-7 lead against the Raiders, New England’s offense imploded in the second half — with Las Vegas outscoring the Patriots, 13-3, for the remainder of the game.
Maye (30-for-46, 287 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT) and the Patriots finished with 336 total yards of offense, while New England’s defense relinquished 389 total yards to Geno Smith and the Raiders.
The Patriots will resume play next Sunday when they take on the Miami Dolphins on the road. Kick-off from Hard Rock Stadium is set for 1 p.m.
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Here are six takeaways from Sunday’s season-opening loss:
Drake Maye sharpened his game with a promising first half …
After getting knocked for turnovers and errant throws during his limited reps in preseason action, it looked as though Maye didn’t learn his lesson during New England’s first offensive possession of the afternoon.
In what was a disheartening initial drive for New England (especially after the Patriots defense coughed up an opening touchdown to the Raiders), Maye and his teammates went 3-and-out — with Maye airmailing a throw over DeMario Douglas’ head on a potential third-down conversion.
But after those initial jitters, Maye started to settle into a groove for the remainder of the first half — completing 14-of-20 throws going into halftime for 150 yards and a three-yard TD to Douglas.
A stronger showing in pass protection (just four pressures in the first half) and some schemed-up plays from Josh McDaniels allowed Maye and the Patriots to both pick up chunk yardage and extend drives over short-yardage situations.
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Had it not been for a missed field goal from rookie Andy Borregales (at the end of an 11-play, 67-yard drive), Maye would have charted out three straight scoring drives for New England in the first half.
After years of ineffective offensive execution, it looked as though New England’s personnel was due to take a sizable step forward this fall.
Alas …
… but the offense flatlined in the second half
It didn’t take long for all of the promise that New England showcased on offense to dissipate in short order.
Maye’s miscues once again started to resurface in the second half, with a hurried throw from the QB on New England’s first drive of the third quarter ultimately getting picked off by Raiders safety Isaiah Pola-Mao.
It was a high throw from Maye, one also brought upon by some poor pass protection on the right side from Morgan Moses and Mike Onwenu.
That miscue swung momentum back in favor of Las Vegas for the rest of the afternoon, with the Raiders gaining a lead they would not relinquish on the subsequent drive. Ashton Jeanty capped off a five-play, 56-yard drive with a three-yard rushing score.
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Even though New England had ample time to scrape back into the contest after Maye’s turnover (and subsequent letdown by the defense), the Patriots’ offense sputtered for the remainder of the afternoon.
After Borregales gave New England a 10-7 lead in the closing minutes of the first half, the Patriots had seven more drives to finish out the game.
Five of those seven drives ended with punts for New England — with the outliers being Maye’s interception and a garbage-time drive that ended with another Borregales field goal.
As the boos started to rain down near the end of the game, the 2025 Patriots offense didn’t look all that different from the ineffective group we’ve seen the last few years.
Defense showcased some potential … and a lot of warts
The first few minutes of action between New England and Las Vegas was a sign of things to come.
All of the optimism of a bounce-back season on defense seemed to dissolve after the Raiders opened the game with a six-play, 71-yard drive that took just 2:43 of game action for Smith to hit Tre Tucker in the end zone.
Be it Jaylinn Hawkins getting caught flat-footed while in coverage against Tucker or New England opting to drop D-linemen Milton Williams and Christian Barmore in coverage on that 3rd-and-11 sequence — it was an ugly showing in terms of both execution and scheme from Terrell Williams’ unit out of the gate.
But Hawkins redeemed himself on New England’s next defensive stretch, with the safety putting momentum back on the Patriots’ side after snagging an interception off a tipped pass by veteran cornerback Carlton Davis.
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Not only did Hawkins’ interception jumpstart a sequence that concluded with a three-yard touchdown grab from Douglas, but it marked a sizable shift in execution on the defensive side of the ball in the first half.
After coughing up a touchdown on that opening drive, New England’s defense allowed just 84 total yards, six first downs and zero points for the remainder of the first half — allowing the Patriots to enter halftime with a three-point lead.
A lot of those strides on the defensive side of the ball were rooted in an aggressive approach by Williams — who dialed up plenty of pressure to throw Smith off his game.
But as Maye and New England’s offense started to stagnate in the second half, the Raiders once again started to carve up the Patriots’ defense with some sizable gains — most of them courtesy of tight end Brock Bowers (103 yards).
Offensive miscues might be the top takeaway of the day, but Geno Smith (362 passing yards) and the Raiders still managed to routinely move the ball as the game wore on — with five different Vegas pass-catchers finishing with at least 35 receiving yards.
New England should be able to generate more pressure up front, but that’s not a consistent way to stack wins when teams can still pick you apart on curls and flats that can keep drives alive.
It wasn’t the sharpest showing from New England’s thin linebacker corps and a secondary clearly missing Christian Gonzalez.
Free-agent pickups stood out on edge
New England’s defense was beaten for some chunk yardage on Sunday. But the Patriots’ efforts to add playmakers on that side of the ball via free agency at least led to production from the pass rush.
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Harold Landry stood out in his Patriots debut as a threat on the edge, recording 2.5 sacks while finding a variety of ways to get after Smith in the pocket. K’Lavon Chaisson added a half-sack in his debut, while Milton Williams added a QB hit and a tackle for loss.
Kayshon Boutte also stood out
Maye has plenty of expectations placed upon his shoulders this season when it comes to revitalizing New England’s offense and moving this franchise in the right direction. But the second-year QB also needs someone to throw to if he wants to develop into a franchise signal-caller.
Through one game, it looks as though Kayshon Boutte is ready to step into an elevated role.
Boutte — who faced trade rumors throughout the offseason — quieted some of that talk with a strong showing in training camp. And that play carried over to Sunday, as Boutte was one of the bright spots on New England’s inconsistent offensive output against Las Vegas.
The third-year pro consistently got open for Maye with some crisp route-running — ending the game with six catches (off eight targets) for 103 yards. Boutte was one of Maye’s most-dependable targets — with Stefon Diggs also finishing the game with six catches for 57 yards.
Diggs’ ability to separate himself from defensive backs doesn’t come as much of a surprise, even after coming off a torn ACL last fall. But Boutte’s development into another dynamic pass-catcher would be a welcome sight for an offense that needs all the help it can get.
Rookie Report
A rebuilding Patriots club had several first-year players make their debuts on Sunday afternoon, with 11 total players taking part in their first NFL game against the Raiders.
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All eyes were on left tackle Will Campbell, given both his vital role as the team’s left tackle and the concern over an ankle injury that limited him in practice earlier this week.
Campbell, fellow rookie Jared Wilson, and New England’s revamped offense held up for most of the first half — but Campbell was also beat clean by Tyree Wilson en route to a third-down sack against Maye in the third quarter. Wilson was also beat on the strip-sack in the fourth quarter that was ultimately recovered by New England.
Both Campbell (two false starts) and Wilson (holding) were knocked for penalties in their debut.
Running back TreVeyon Henderson shared plenty of reps in the backfield alongside Rhamondre Stevenson, with the 2025 second-round pick finishing the game with 51 yards. Third-round wideout Kyle Williams was active and finished with one catch for 12 yards.
Fourth-round selection Craig Woodson got the start at safety after a strong training camp, with the defensive back out of Cal finishing with seven total tackles. After emerging as the Patriots’ starting kicker out of preseason, Borregales had a rocky showing in his debut — missing a 40-yard field goal in the second quarter that squandered a promising drive. The 2025 sixth-round pick finished 2-for-3 on field-goal attempts.
LIVE UPDATES
4:01: Final: Patriots fall to the Raiders, 20-13. After a promising start, a lot of the same flaws befall New England down the stretch. We’ll have more to come from New England’s lackluster showing.
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4:02: The good news? Borregales hit a 44-yard field goal. The bad news? It’s still 20-13 Raiders.
3:45: Patriots just look completely out of sync on offense. They’re punting once again after Will Campbell gets whistled for a false start.
Fans are booing.
3:40: Another long drive for the Raiders is capped off with a field goal from Daniel Carlson. It’s 20-10 Raiders with 6:46 left in regulation. Maye and the Patriots need a quick score to get back into this game.
3:35: Brock Bowers is questionable to return with a knee injury.
3:28: Another punt for New England. Their fourth in the last five drives.
3:23: The Patriots offense has some life after Stefon Diggs picks up a third-down conversion.
Onto the fourth quarter, with New England still trailing, 17-10.
3:19: Daniel Carlson hits a 50-yard field goal. Raiders go up, 17-10. New England’s offense needs to wake up here after a brutal third quarter so far.
3:13: Maye and the Patriots once again can’t get anything going in the second haf. Another punt incoming from Baringer.
3:07: Harold Landry now has 2.5 sacks so far today. He’s had a monster showing so far.
3:02: Another poor showing from New England’s offense in the second half. Patriots are punting after a couple of high throws from Maye.
2:56: The Raiders make the Patriots pay for that turnover. A 5-play, 56-yard drive by Vegas ends with Ashton Jeanty’s first career TD.
14-10 Raiders with 9:39 left in the third.
2:49: Drake Maye gets knocked for an interception after getting hit while he threw. Isaiah Pola-Mao with the easy pick. Raiders taking over on the 30-yard line.
2:47: Second half is underway. Maye and the Patriots have the ball to open the third.
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2:31: HALFTIME: Patriots lead, 10-7. Nice response from the Patriots on both sides of the ball after a sluggish start.
2:22: Patriots have the ball on their 26 yard line with 1:25 left in the half. Could have a shot at a double-score chance if they gain some chunk yardage in a hurry.
2:20: Chaisson, who stood out throughout preseason play — picks up a 10-yard sack on Geno Smith.
2:16: Andy Borregales does convert on a 35-yard field goal. It’s 10-7 Patriots with 2:00 to go in the first half.
10-7 New England.
2:07: Kayshon Boutte now up to 4 catches for 74 yards so far today.
2:02: Alex Austin with the pass break-up. He’s had a nice game so far stepping up for an injured Christian Gonzalez.
2:00: Nice run stuff by Christian Barmore. D-line has looked a lot better over the last few drives.
1:58: A promising drive for New England stalls out after Andy Borregales misses on a 40-yard field goal attempt.
Still a 7-7 game.
1:50: Kayshon Boutte back on the field. Might have just had the wind knocked out of him on that hit from Devin White.
1:47: Nice response by New England’s D: Jaylinn Hawkins dials up on a blitz and sacks Geno Smith. Raiders punting.
1:44: End First: Patriots and Raiders are tied up, 7-7.
Nice response for New England after a rough start for both the offense and defense.
1:38: Touchdown, Patriots.
Maye hits Douglas for a 3-yard touchdown pass with the slot receiver in tight coverage. Borregales converts on the PAT.
It’s a 7-7 game.
1:34: TreVeyon Henderson’s first carry goes for 7 yards.
1:32: Kayshon Boutte picks up a 23-yard completion on third down. But he now heads to the blue medical tent.
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1:29: The Patriots finally have a chunk-yardage play on offense. Maye hits Henry for a 27-yard pickup.
1:23: Redemption time for Hawkins. The safety snags an interception off a ball that was tipped by Carlton Davis. New England taking over on their own 18.
1:19: Harold Landry picks up his first sack as a Patriot. Raiders looking at a 2nd-and-15. Milton Williams made his presence felt on that play.
1:13: Patriots are going to be 3-and-out on their first drive. Drake Maye airmailed a throw to Pop Douglas.
1:12: A 41-yard kickoff return from Antonio Gibson. Nice start for special teams.
1:11: Raiders went 66 yards in just six plays on that opening drive. Bold move to have both Barmore and Williams drop into coverage on that play.
1:08: Not a great start for the Patriots defense. Raiders look at a 3-and-11, but Geno Smith hits Tre Tucker for a 26-yard touchdown. Jaylinn Hawkins in coverage.
7-0 Raiders.
1:04: Brock Bowers opens a drive with a 23-yard pick up.
1:00: Patriots win the coin toss. They will defer for the second half.
12:58: Robert Spillane, Brenden Schooler, and TreVeyon Henderson lead the Patriots out on the field.
12:50: Donnie Wahlberg is the “keeper of the light” for today’s game — ringing the bell atop the lightouse in Gillette Stadium.
12:25: Plenty of new faces on the O-line for New England.
12:05: Warmups are underway in Foxborough.
11:59: Despite dealing with an ankle injury this week, Will Campbell is good to go for his NFL debut. He’ll have a tough task against Maxx Crosby.
11:55: Rookie Andy Borregales just connected on a 50-yard field goal during warmups. A lot of eyes on the young kicker today, especially in these conditions.
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11:40: A look at New England’s inactives today. Gonzalez was an expected absence due to his hamstring injury. A bit surprising that veteran Anfernee Jennings is inactive, although he played sparingly on this defense during preseason play.
11:25: Greetings from Gillette Stadium. What are everyone’s predictions for today’s game?
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