The New England Patriots returned to the win column last week, beating the previously-undefeated Buffalo Bills with a final score of 29-26. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel therefore returned to Foxborough as the owners of a 2-2 record, as well as favorites for their Week 5 matchup with the Las Vegas Raiders.
According to FanDuel Sportsbook, the Patriots are seen as 3.5-point favorites at home. Will they prove the oddsmakers right? Or will the Raiders manage to pull off another upset in Foxborough,
just like they did last season? Let’s find out what Pats Pulpit’s staff and community think.
Patriots vs. Raiders score predictions
Bernd Buchmasser: The uncertainty at cornerback is, to put it mildly, not ideal going against an offense ranked ninth in the NFL in passing yards and first in passing touchdowns. Likewise potentially being down two of your top four wide receivers is also not what you want against an opportunistic defense that tops the league in takeaways. That said, the Patriots seem to have turned a corner last week versus Buffalo and have the talent especially at quarterback and on the coaching staff to work their way around possible personnel shortcomings. | Patriots 24, Raiders 17
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Matt St. Jean: Drake Maye finally played like himself again, and that should be enough to lift an injured roster past the Raiders. Las Vegas is clearly a well-coached team early in the season, but the Patriots should still have enough talent to get revenge for last year’s loss in the season opener. | Patriots 20, Raiders 13
Pat Lane: The Patriots’ injury report is lengthy, and has a lot of important players on it, but I still think they’re a better team than the Raiders. Las Vegas is coming off a tough loss to the Chiefs, and, while they’re well-coached, I think they’re prime for a letdown on the road. | Patriots 27, Raiders 20
Dylan Klayman: We finally saw a glimpse of last year’s Patriots offense, with Drake Maye racking up his first AFC Offensive Player of the Week this season. If he finally rediscovered how to slow the game down, read the defense, and make the correct pass, the Patriots’ ceiling increases exponentially. Although they have a lot of injuries, I’m choosing to believe Drake Maye is returning to form, and he will, and should, outclass Kirk Cousins in every way. | Patriots 24, Raiders 20
What do you think? Do you agree with our assessment? Or do you feel differently one way or the other? Please head down to the comment section to share your thoughts with the rest of the community.
