Drake Maye kept firing, kept running, and kept New England in complete command.
Maye delivered five total touchdowns Sunday, throwing for four and adding one on the ground as the Patriots blasted the Las Vegas Raiders 45-17. He finished 26 of 34 for 374 yards, his second 300-yard outing as a pro, and New England never let the game drift after getting on the board early.
Pop Douglas was the first and biggest beneficiary. Maye found him for a 35-yard score to finish a 79-yard opening drive, then hit him again later for one of his four passing touchdowns.
Hunter Henry added another scoring grab, Kyle Williams got into the end zone as well, and Rhamondre Stevenson chipped in with a touchdown run. Maye’s own score came on a 3-yard run.
The Patriots piled up 536 yards, their best total of the season, and also came away with a forced fumble even while playing without injured receiver Mack Hollins and cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III. At 3-2, they looked nothing like a team searching for rhythm.
For Las Vegas, Kirk Cousins had an early answer but not much else. He went 19 of 28 for 243 yards and connected with Brock Bowers for a touchdown that briefly pulled the Raiders even.
That was as good as it got for an offense that had scored at least 26 points in each of its first four games. The Raiders did not reach the end zone again until the fourth quarter.
Maye also made a bit of team history. He became the first Patriots player to throw at least three touchdown passes in back-to-back games since Tom Brady in 2018. Just as important for New England, it was his first game of the season without a turnover.
The Patriots set the tone immediately after forcing a three-and-out on the opening possession. Five plays later, Maye hit Douglas for the 35-yard touchdown, with a 16-yard completion to Romeo Doubs helping move the ball into Raiders territory.
Las Vegas answered on its next series. Cousins hit Bowers and Coby White on long completions, then took advantage of a pass interference call on Kevin Byard before finding Bowers for a 13-yard touchdown in the corner of the end zone.
But New England kept pushing back. Stevenson scored from 5 yards out after that Raiders touchdown, and when Las Vegas had a shot to tighten things up just before halftime, the opportunity slipped away. Corey Kiner fumbled at the New England 37, Matt Gay then missed a 49-yard field goal off the left upright, and the Patriots made the Raiders pay with Henry’s 11-yard touchdown catch 24 seconds before the break.
No. 1 overall draft pick Fernando Mendoza replaced Cousins after the game had already gotten out of hand later in the fourth quarter.
Both teams also dealt with injury issues. For the Raiders, DT Tonka Hemingway left in the first quarter with a neck injury and was ruled out, while DE Patrick Johnson exited in the second quarter with a neck injury.
For the Patriots, RB TreVeyon Henderson limped to the locker room in the second quarter with an ankle injury, and two plays later LT Will Campbell was helped off with a right knee injury; neither returned. CB Charles Woods left in the third quarter with a shoulder injury.
New England hosts the Bills next Sunday.
In Other News...
Patriots Offense Just Put More Pressure On Drake Maye
The Patriots offense took another hit heading into a pivotal stretch, with New England adjusting its lineup as it prepares for a Week 5 meeting with the Raiders. Sitting at 2-2, the team is trying to stabilize a unit that has already been forced to adapt early in the season, and the timing matters with another game against the Bears coming up on Oct. 22.
Reggie Gilliam and Mack Hollins are both out of the picture for now, which narrows the options around Drake Maye and puts more on his plate in a matchup where the offense could use a clean, organized showing. For a Patriots team still searching for rhythm, the next couple of weeks will say plenty about how well it can absorb roster changes without losing ground. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots May Need An Unlikely Answer To A Growing Offensive Concern
Mack Hollins has become a growing concern for the Patriots this week after missing consecutive practices with a calf injury, putting his status for Sunday against the Raiders in doubt. With A.J. Brown still on injured reserve, New Englands margin for error at receiver is getting thinner, and the team may need to lean harder on whatever options are available to keep the passing game functional.
One of those options could be Eli Raridon, who took a season-high 44 snaps last week and has been productive in limited chances. He is healthy for the upcoming game after working through a thigh issue earlier, and he even lined up wide on five of his 23 pass snaps against Buffalo, a hint that the Patriots could ask him to stretch beyond his usual role if Hollins is unavailable. [Read more 🡒]
Patriots Secondary Suddenly Faces A Depth Test They Couldn't Avoid
The Patriots secondary is heading into Week 5 with plenty of uncertainty, and Charles Woods is part of the reason there is at least a little relief on the injury front. Woods had been listed questionable with a shoulder issue, but he has been cleared to play, giving New England one more body to work with as it prepares for the Raiders.
Even with that bit of good news, the picture remains thin. New England ruled out four cornerbacks and will be without Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis, along with backups Channing Canada and Karon Prunty, leaving the defense to patch together a depth chart against a Las Vegas group that wont have receiver Jalen Nailor but does have Ashton Jeanty available. [Read more 🡒]