The Raiders and Patriots head into Week 5 coming off very different kinds of statement games, and both left Week 4 with reasons to feel better about where they stand.
Las Vegas saw its unbeaten run end in a 30-27 loss to Kansas City, but Kirk Cousins still put together a strong night, throwing for 365 yards and two touchdowns while nearly dragging the Raiders into a comeback. New England, meanwhile, walked out of Buffalo with a 29-26 win built on balance and one of Drake Maye’s best late-game stretches of the young season.
That leaves Sunday’s game at Gillette Stadium with a little more juice than a typical early-October matchup. The Raiders are 3-1 and trying to show their fast start is about more than a soft schedule.
The Patriots are 2-2, back home, and opened as 3.5-point favorites thanks to the venue and the confidence that came from beating Buffalo on the road. Las Vegas has also topped 26 points in every game, so this one has the makings of a real fight.
One of the biggest reasons the Raiders can hang around is Brock Bowers. He missed the first two games after a meniscus procedure, but Las Vegas quickly centered its passing game around him once he returned in Week 3. Against Kansas City, he was again heavily involved, helping the tight end group pile up 200 receiving yards and two touchdowns, including a vital late 20-yard score that gave the Raiders a final chance.
That kind of role should travel well to New England. Bowers fits a matchup where the ball can come out quickly, the middle of the field matters, and yards after the catch can turn into something bigger in a hurry.
The Patriots have shown they can bring pressure, so the Raiders figure to keep the design simple and let their most dangerous pass catcher work fast from different alignments. Klint Kubiak has also leaned into the middle of the field, which is a useful way to attack a defense that likes to vary its coverages.
That points to another big day for Bowers, with a chance to clear 100 receiving yards and score a touchdown for the third straight week.
Maye has his own path to a huge box score, and it doesn’t require him to copy exactly what he did in Buffalo. His legs give New England another way to build numbers.
In Week 4, he led the Patriots with 54 rushing yards and threw three touchdown passes, including two to Romeo Doubs and the game-winner to Efton Chism III. The interception was the blemish, but the larger takeaway was how composed the offense looked once Maye had to make plays instead of simply manage the game.
The Raiders have been tough enough defensively to make things interesting, but Kansas City still pushed them for nearly 400 total yards last week and found explosive plays along the way. That leaves an opening for New England, especially with the Patriots getting more from the rest of the offense. Doubs finally broke through with two touchdowns against Buffalo, and Maye’s mobility remains a real weapon when protection starts to crack and man coverage creates space.
A line like 250 passing yards and more than 50 on the ground would put Maye over 300 total yards, and a three-touchdown day is well within reach.
The biggest obstacle for New England is Maxx Crosby. The Patriots did show better run blocking against Buffalo, but pass protection is still a concern with Crosby coming off a game against Kansas City in which he logged five quarterback hits and half a sack. He can wreck a drive even when the rest of the defense gives up some yardage.
Maye can help himself with his movement, but asking him to keep escaping Crosby all afternoon is not a clean answer. If New England gets pushed into obvious passing downs, Crosby has a real chance to take over a few snaps, and two sacks is a realistic outcome.
Even so, the edge goes to the Patriots. Their offense looked more capable of absorbing mistakes in Week 4, bouncing back, sustaining drives, and finding different ways to score. Las Vegas, despite Cousins’ 365 passing yards, still let Kansas City cash in too often.
This one should stay tight deep into the fourth quarter. Crosby will make life miserable at times, but New England should do enough on offense to pull out a one-score win at home.
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Romeo Doubs recent improvement has given New England at least a little early validation for how it handled the position, even if the full picture is still developing. Across the league, former Patriots target Michael Pittman Jr. has not exactly stormed out of the gate after being traded to the Steelers, with his production lagging behind the expectations that came with his extension, and that contrast only sharpens how much these receiver decisions matter for a team trying to get the room right. [Read more 🡒]