As members of the Super Bowl XXXVI team returned to Gillette Stadium, so did victory formation.
The New England Patriots threw and ran through the Las Vegas Raiders for 536 total yards of offense and a 45-17 win on Sunday.
Here’s a glance back on the 1 p.m. ET kickoff as head coach Mike Vrabel’s side moves forward at 3-2.
A repeat for AFC Offensive Player of the Week
The reigning AFC Offensive Player of the Week put September’s turnovers further in the rearview.
Drake Maye completed 26-of-34 passes for 374 yards in Sunday’s red throwbacks. The 24-year-old
Patriots quarterback found four touchdowns through the air and a fifth on the ground after setting a season best in rushing last week.
Taking the field in “12” personnel, New England’s opening drive stretched five plays, 55 yards and a penalty for defensive pass interference on the way to a 7-0 scoring strike to the end zone. The second series brought a pair of fourth-and-3 a shotgun connections on the way to a 14-7 lead. Punter Mitch Wishnowsky was not called upon until the Patriots’ third drive stalled on the visitors’ side of the field. Even so, a scamper of 26 yards by tenured tight end Hunter Henry helped make sure that wouldn’t reoccur by halftime. And as one Patriots captain looked back to another on the subsequent snap, an 11-yard touchdown catch was the result for a 21-7 advantage.
Maye stood 11-of-15 passing for 160 yards with two touchdowns and a passer rating of 147.2 by intermission at Gillette Stadium. A certain former UNLV and Washington State speedster was hit down the left sideline coming out of the break for a 34-yard score on second-and-19. The QB kept the pedal down, delivering a pinpoint pass to rookie tight end Eli Raridon on a motioning wheel route for 31 yards before calling his own number to extend the lead to 35-10.
Kneel-downs were called upon once things stood at 45-17. Averaging 8.1 yards per play, offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels’ Patriots attack closed the matchup with 29 first downs, going 6-of-12 on third down, 2-of-2 on fourth down and 4-of-5 in the red zone.
Wide receiver room of four reels in three touchdowns
After Mack Hollins sustained a non-contact calf injury during last weekend’s 29-26 AFC East upset against the Buffalo Bills, the wide receiver room went without its eldest statesman. The 33-year-old stood atop the team in targets, receptions and receiving yards before being sent to injured reserve on the eve of the 1 p.m. ET kickoff.
But DeMario Douglas wasn’t forgotten about. At least not by his quarterback. The 5-foot-8, 185-pound slot was found in the end zone for his first touchdown of the fall on the Patriots’ opening drive. And in wide-open fashion behind an unbrella of Raiders. He went on catch four passes for 65 yards and his second touchdown of the game.
It was a collective effort for a wideout depth chart of four.
March signing Romeo Doubs drew 24 yards and then 27 yards worth of defensive pass interference on consecutive series versus cornerback Eric Stokes. Also getting the starting nod for the depth chart was Efton Chism III. A week after reeling in a game-winning TD with his right glove, the 2025 undrafted free agent out of Eastern Washington kept playing above the rim to the tune of five catches for 57 yards as well as a lateral for a third-and-11 conversion.
And then there was Kyle Williams, who got in on the fun with his first visit to the end zone since December of his rookie campaign and then broke off a 49-yarder on a raindrop deep to the middle of the field. The No. 69 overall pick from last year’s NFL draft entered the game with 44 receiving yards on the season and finished it with a team-leading 91.
Brown stays in at right guard, but Campbell departs from blindside
Nearly two years had passed since Ben Brown joined the Patriots’ 53-man roster off the practice squad of the Raiders. Getting his second call at right guard after Greg Van Roten landed on injured reserve along with incumbent Mike Onwenu, the backup interior lineman was penalized for one false start and one hold on Sunday while Morgan Moses also twice drew flags for the same infractions at right tackle.
The musical chairs didn’t end there for the starting five.
Left tackle Will Campbell, who limped off the field in the second quarter after having his right knee rolled up, was downgraded from questionable to out in the midst of Sunday. Rookie No. 28 overall pick Caleb Lomu went from reporting as an eligible tight end to lining up on the blindside next to left guard Alijah Vera-Tucker, center Jared Wilson and 35-year-old right tackle Morgan Moses as a result.
But one sack followed for Las Vegas. Defensive linemen Jonah Laulu and Malcolm Koonce split it. A “max-effort guy” in five-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro Maxx Crosby managed a pair of quarterback hits.
Stevenson visits end zone, tallies 85 scrimmage yards for lean backfield
Rhamondre Stevenson turned 13 carries into 64 rushing yards and plunge from the goal line for his second touchdown in a week’s span. Despite being questionable after hobbling off on the final drive in Orchard Park, the starting running back’s outing in Foxborough included decisive, knifing gains of 12 and 20 yards on the ground. It also included 21 receiving yards out of the backfield.
TreVeyon Henderson rotated in for some trickery to move the chains, yet an ankle injury left the Ohio State product going from questionable to out midway through Sunday. The backfield depth chart was rounded out by Corey Kiner, a trade pickup at the 53-man roster deadline, who lost a fumble on his first handoff and returned to record 59 scrimmage yards on seven touches.
With fullback Reggie Gilliam moved to injured reserve with ankle and knee issues, the Patriots’ committee followed undrafted tight end Tanner Arkin on occasion.
Down four corners, Cousins turns to Bowers as No. 1 wideout
The 172nd start of Kirk Cousins’ NFL career was on deck. The Raiders quarterback completed 19-of-28 passes for 243 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions before it ended on the sideline. That was against a secondary missing All-Pro Christian Gonzalez due to a shoulder injury, fellow outside starter Carlton Davis III due to a neck injury, as well as rookies Karon Prunty and Channing Canada due to hamstring injuries.
With that CVS receipt printed out, Marcus Jones and Charles Woods started in the absence of the four cornerbacks on Sunday. The latter, who had been questionable with a shoulder injury of his own, nearly picked off the first pass attempt of the afternoon and soon timed up a pass breakup on third down to go with a tackle for a loss of three yards.
After beginning with a three-and-out, Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak’s offense tied things up at 7-7 on the heels of six plays, four first downs and a subpar throw that became defensive pass interference. The next two drives gave way to punts before a missed field goal clanked off the left upright from 49 yards out and a fumble recovered by Las Vegas brought things to intermission.
The Raiders took a 14-point deficit into halftime. By game’s end, the visitors stood with 5.4 yards per play while going 5-of-13 on third down, 0-of-2 on fourth down and 2-of-3 in the red zone. No. 1 overall pick Fernando Mendoza stepped on in relief for his first NFL snaps under center.
The Patriots were viewing Brock Bowers as the No. 1 wide receiver heading into the matchup. The 6-foot-4, 235-pounder entered Sunday with a team-high 25 targets despite missing the first two games with a knee injury. He was targeted on 10 occasions while in Foxborough. Those occasions brought eight receptions for 110 yards, including a 13-yard touchdown over a 5-foot-8, 188-pound Patriots captain.
August acquisition Jaylen Reed also saw work in the slot. Recent 53-man promotion Kindle Vildor deflected a ball intended for the Raiders’ positionless tight end on third down and proceeded punched out a fumble on fourth down, as well. It would be fallen on by starting safety Craig Woodson.
Ponder rises up the sack ranks while Raiders rush for 2.1 yards per
The Patriots got the matinee underway in the base defense. Milton Williams, Cory Durden and Joshua Farmer aligned on the interior defensive line. And off the ball, there stood Robert Spillane and Christian Elliss.
Defensive coordinator Zak Kuhr’s group went on to live in the backfield. That was the case while former Boise State FBS All-American Ashton Jeanty rushed for 27 yards on 10 carries and former UNH FCS All-American Dylan Laube scored his first NFL touchdown in the closing stages.
In all, 2.1 yards per rushing attempt for the Raiders. Outside linebacker Dre’Mont Jones had a hand in the ground average by not biting on an end-around that wound up going for a loss of 11 yards. The sophomore edge rusher starting across from the veteran also made more than a dent.
Elijah Ponder hit home for two sacks in the second quarter. He has now had a hand in a sack in four consecutive contests. After opening the floodgates on third-and-11 to extend his team lead, 2025 UDFA out of Cal Poly sent things to the break by getting to 4.5 sacks on the season while forcing the first fumble of his career. A sack from defensive tackle Leonard Taylor III followed.
