Patriots stock watch: Here’s who stood out and struggled against the Raiders
Harold Landry brought lots of pressure, but the Patriots folded in the home opener.
FOXBOROUGH – The Mike Vrabel era began with a 20-13 loss to the Raiders at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
For the second-straight season, Geno Smith visited New England and emerged with a close win.
Former Patriots coach Pete Carroll, now with the Raiders, made history by becoming the oldest person (at 73) to coach an NFL game during his return to Foxborough.
Another flat performance from the New England offense, and some notable slip-ups on defense, added up to a season-opening loss.
Here’s who stood out and struggled during the action.
Stock Up
Harold Landry III
The Boston College product forced his way into the Las Vegas backfield consistently. He posted 2.5 sacks, which is the second-most he has had in a game during his seven-year career.
He took advantage of inside pressure from Milton Williams in the first quarter, sacking Las Vegas quarterback Geno Smith as he tried to spin away from Williams. He stuck Ashton Jeanty for a tackle for loss on the final play of the first half.
He teamed up with K’Lavon Chaisson for a half sack, and later danced past two blockers for an inside rush that netted him his second solo sack.
It was a tremendous debut for the former Tennessee Titan.
Kayshon Boutte
Boutte continued to showcase his development, logging a productive game on Sunday and building on a strong summer showing.
He caught five of his first six targets, including a 24-yarder.
Maye was comfortable finding Boutte time after time. Boutte was wide open on a comeback off a play-action, and Maye got the ball to him. Boutte helped set up the Patriots’ first scoring drive with a big gain on 3rd-and-10.
He led the team in catches, targets, and receiving yards.
Stock Flat
Jaylinn Hawkins
Hawkins was able to overcome a sloppy start.
He slipped while trying to pick up Tre Tucker, and the speedy receiver ran right past him for a wide-open 26-yard touchdown for the first score of the game.
Hawkins made some big plays after that, though. He picked off Smith on a tipped pass from Carlton Davis, and notched a sack after coming up on a blitz.
He got burned early, but had some moments that popped.
Drake Maye
Maye had some early jitters in the season opener, and some high throws ended up costing him.
His first passing attempt sailed way over 5-foot-8-inch DeMario Douglas’s head. He wrecked a promising third-quarter drive with a throw that was too high for Stefon Diggs and landed in the hands of Las Vegas’s Isiaiah Pola-Mao.
Maye had his share of good moments. He hit Hunter Henry on a seam with a well-placed back shoulder throw. He found Douglas for a short touchdown.
Overall, he finished 30-for-46 passing for 287 yards.
The interception was a big blemish. Maye spoke about his tendency to begin games a little too amped up with high throws. He said getting a few “layups” on short attempts usually helps with that. He got some easy looks on Sunday, but a bad throw at a key time changed the game.
Will Campbell
Campbell looked strong in the first half and much of the third.
Towards the end of the game, though, Campbell had a pair of penalties and was involved in a play where Maye ended up getting sacked. He appeared to stand Las Vegas’s Tyree Wilson up, but the quarterback was facing pressure from the other side and wound up running into Wilson’s arms.
For most of the game, there didn’t appear to be many issues on Campbell’s side, but as the game wore on, problems started to happen.
Stefon Diggs
This was Diggs’s first game back since having surgery to repair a torn ACL that cut his season short around the midway point last season.
He deserves some credit for being ready to go in the opener, but it took him a long time to get going.
He caught six of his seven targets for 57 yards, with most of the production coming in the second half.
Stock Down
The entire running back room
The Patriots pretty much abandoned the run game in the second half. They finished with 18 carries for 60 yards as a team.
Rookie TreVeyon Henderson was the only Patriots back with more than 15 yards. His 27 yards on five touches were good for 5.4 yards per carry.
It was a rough day for Rhamondre Stevenson, who averaged 2.1 yards per carry. Antonio Gibson, who had a nifty kick return early in the game, got just one touch on offense, which went for three yards.
DeMario Douglas
Douglas snagged the Patriots’ only touchdown reception of the day, a 3-yarder on a quick out, but he was pretty much a non-factor outside of that.
Late into the fourth quarter, his stat line read: 2 catches for -2 yards on six targets. He had a brutal drop on an open throw from Maye on 2nd-and-10 in the first quarter.
A less-than-ideal start for someone who was one of the Patriots’ most productive receivers last season.
Andy Borregales
The 40-yard field-goal attempt that Borregales missed in the first quarter was a situation where the Patriots absolutely can’t afford to miss out on points.
With the game tied at 7 early in the second quarter, it was an opportunity to take an early lead.
Sure, it was Borregales’s first career attempt, but 40 yards is certainly a manageable distance.
He finished 2-for-3 on the day, also converting his lone extra point attempt.
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