The New England Patriots didn’t just beat the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. They opened the game fast, won the middle stretch with timely aggression, and then used a pair of big-play sequences to turn Gillette Stadium into a runaway.
That 45-17 final gave Mike Vrabel’s team back-to-back wins for the first time all season, and the Patriots looked in control for most of the afternoon. A few moments, in particular, told the story.
New England set the tone immediately. After getting off the field on a three-and-out to start the game, the offense needed only five plays to grab its first lead.
Drake Maye found DeMario Douglas for a touchdown, Douglas’ first of the season, and the throw-and-catch was as clean as it gets. Maye had nearly five seconds in the pocket, and Douglas slipped free against Las Vegas zone coverage.
The Patriots kept their foot down on the next scoring drive. This one covered 86 yards and featured two fourth-down conversions, both of which showed just how much faith Vrabel had in his offense.
Maye hit Douglas for 6 yards on 4th-and-2, then found Hunter Henry for 7 yards on 4th-and-3 deep in Raiders territory. Two snaps later, Rhamondre Stevenson finished it with a 5-yard touchdown to put New England back in front.
Defense helped New England stay ahead when Las Vegas threatened in the late first half. Corey Kiner, playing in extended action after TreVeyon Henderson went out with an ankle injury, had the ball knocked loose on his first carry of the day.
The Raiders recovered at the New England 38 and had a chance to pull even, but Dre’Mont Jones blew up Tre Tucker for an 11-yard loss on an end-around. That sequence helped lead to Matt Gay missing a 49-yard field goal, and the Patriots kept their seven-point edge.
From there, New England made the Raiders pay. The next possession turned into a five-play, 61-yard touchdown drive that pushed the game further in the Patriots’ favor before halftime.
Hunter Henry was the centerpiece, first taking a screen for 26 yards and then catching another pass from Maye for his first touchdown of the season. What could have been a 14-14 game instead became a 21-7 Patriots lead going into the break.
The second half opened with more damage through the air. Kyle Williams, who had been quiet through the first four games of his second season, broke through with three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown.
His 34-yard score on the opening drive after halftime made the game start to feel out of reach, and later in the third quarter he added a 49-yard catch from Maye as well. For Williams, it was a clear step forward, even with A.J.
Brown nearing a return to action.
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Vrabel Said What Patriots Fans Were Thinking After That Flag-Fest
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Vrabel also made clear he was not putting the entire mess on the players. He questioned some of what happened with the officiating crew, adding another layer to a game already bogged down by 20 penalties for 217 yards, and the bigger concern for the Patriots is simple enough: they cannot afford that many self-inflicted setbacks and expect cleaner football moving forward. [Read more 🡒]