The 2025 season is right around the corner. Although the world champion Philadelphia Eagles and the Micah Parsons-less Dallas Cowboys will open the year tonight, the New England Patriots have a few more days of wait and preparation ahead of them: they will enter Week 1 on Sunday, Sept. 7, at 1 p.m. ET.
Their opponent is in itself a familiar one; the Patriots and the Las Vegas Raiders are set to cross paths a fourth time in the last six seasons. However, this iteration of the Silver and Black is a different
one altogether: like New England, Las Vegas went for a rebuild this season, hiring Pete Carroll as its head coach.
So, with that said, let’s take a closer look at New England’s opening day opponent.
Raiders key stats
There obviously is nothing to work with as far as the Raiders’ record and stats are concerned. They are 0-0, like the Patriots, and have yet to show their strengths and weaknesses.
New England will get an up-close look at those on Sunday, but let’s find out what the team accomplished in 2024 to get some sense of a) what led to the coaching change, and b) where the team needed go improve the most in order to get back into winning territory and compete for a playoff spot.
Record: 4-13 (4th AFC West)
Scoring differential: -125 (27th)
Turnover differential: -16 (30th)
Offense: 18.2 points/game (29th), 303.2 yards/game (27th), 29 giveaways (29th), -0.058 EPA/pass (28th), -0.283 EPA/run (32nd)
Defense: 25.5 points/game (25th), 333.1 yards/game (15th), 13 takeaways (29th), 0.088 EPA/pass (17th), -0.098 EPA/run (15th)
Like the Patriots, the Raiders struggled mightily in 2024. Led by head coach Antonio Pierce, they won just four games all year; only one of them coming against a team that would end the year with a winning record (Week 2 vs. Baltimore). They started 2-2 and went 2-1 in their final three games, but in between lost 10 straight.
Las Vegas was especially poor on offense. The Raiders had a hard time passing the ball, and they had an even harder one running it. They also struggled with turnovers, throwing 16 interceptions and losing 13 fumbles.
For comparison, the Raiders were solid on the defensive side of the ball. Even though the team still only ranked 25th in the league in points allowed and 29th in takeaways — 10 INTs plus a league-worst 3 fumble recoveries — they fared relatively well against both the run and the pass. It was not enough to overcome an atrocious offensive performance, but it did provide a positive foundation to build on. In fact, Patrick Graham was retained by Pete Carroll as defensive coordinator.
Raiders 2025 season
So far, there is nothing to report when it comes to Las Vegas’ 2025. The big developments to note are the losses of some high-exposure free agents such as Robert Spillane, Tre’Von Moehrig and Jack Jones, who ranked 1-2-3 on the team in defensive snaps, as well as the addition of running back Ashton Jeanty with the sixth overall pick in the draft.
As for the product on the field — and we know this needs to be taken with a grain of salt — the Raiders went winless in preseason. They tied the Seattle Seahawks 23-23 in their opener, followed by losses to the San Francisco 49ers and Arizona Cardinals.
Raiders active roster
(Note: Roster up-to-date as of Sept. 4, 7 a.m. ET; *indicates projected starter)
Quarterback (2): Geno Smith* (7), Kenny Pickett (15)
Running back (4): Ashton Jeanty* (2), Raheem Mostert (31), Zamir White (3), Dylan Laube (23)
Wide receiver (5): Tre Tucker* (1 | KR | PR), Jakobi Meyers* (16), Dont’e Thornton Jr.* (10), Jack Bech (18), Amari Cooper (19)
Tight end (3): Brock Bowers* (89), Michael Mayer (87), Ian Thomas (80)
Offensive tackle (4): Kolton Miller* (74 | LT), D.J. Glaze* (71 | RT), Charles Grant (60), Stone Forsythe (70)
Interior offensive line (6): Dylan Parham* (66 | LG), Jordan Meredith* (61 | C), Jackson Powers-Johnson* (58 | RG), Alex Cappa (65), Caleb Rogers (76), Will Putnam (67)
Interior defensive line (6): Adam Butler* (69), Thomas Booker IV* (99), Leki Fotu (95), Jonah Laulu (96), Tonka Hemingway (97), J.J. Pegues (92)
Defensive edge (5): Maxx Crosby* (98), Malcolm Koonce* (51), Tyree Wilson (9), Charles Snowden (49), Brennan Jackson (54)
Linebacker (6): Elandon Roberts* (52), Germaine Pratt* (57), Devin White (45), Jamal Adams (33), Tommy Eichenberg (44), Cody Lindenberg (55)
Cornerback (5): Eric Stokes* (22), Darien Porter* (26), Darnay Holmes* (30), Kyu Blu Kelly (36), Decamerion Richardson (25)
Safety (4): Jeremy Chinn* (11), Isaiah Pola-Mao* (20), Chris Smith II (29), Tristin McCollum (27)
Specialists (3): Daniel Carlson (8 | K), A.J. Cole (6 | H | P), Jacob Bobenmoyer (50 | LS)
The Raiders new their quarterback situation was no longer tenable, so they went out and acquired a passer new head coach Pete Carroll is familiar with: Geno Smith, his former QB at the Seattle Seahawks.
In his final season in Seattle before getting traded for a third-round selection in this year’s draft, he performed at a solid level once again. Smith went 407-for-578 (70.4%) for 4,320 yards with 21 touchdowns and 15 interceptions. He also scored a pair of rushing touchdowns, was taken down 50 times for sacks, and fumbled nine times without any of those ending up with the opponent. Now, the Raiders are hoping for the 34-year-old to bring his steady if at times unspectacular act to Las Vegas. Steady, after all, would be an immense upgrade for the team.
The problem for Smith is that his supporting cast has some potential, but is largely unproven outside of tight end Brock Bowers, slot receiver Jakobi Meyers and some pieces along the offensive line. Ashton Jeanty obviously comes with first-round pedigree, and could very well be a problem from Day 1, but the wide receiver group has similarities to New England’s in terms of youth and a lack of real star power.
Defensively, the Raiders need to find a way to replace defensive tackle Christian Wilkins after his surprise release in late July. Ex-Patriot Adam Butler will again play a big role in this process, as will trade pickup Thomas Booker.
Helping them is the fact that the team has some talent on the edge, headlined by Maxx Crosby. Even though the four-time Pro Bowler and two-time second-team All-Pro notched only 7.5 sacks in 12 games last season — second lowest in his six-year career — his disruptive potential is well-documented. He will be a problem for New England’s new-look offensive line.
Whether the same is true for Las Vegas’ second and third levels remains to be seen. The Raiders do have some experience at linebacker, including another ex-Patriots defender, Elandon Roberts, but upside is a question mark. In the secondary, the team had 10 interceptions last year but none of the players catching them remain on the team.
Raiders reserves
Practice squad (16): QB Jeff Driskel (17), QB Cam Miller (5), RB Chris Collier (35), WR Alex Bachman (81), WR Shedrick Jackson (4), WR Justin Shorter (88), TE Albert Okwuegbunam (86), TE Carter Runyon (46), OT Dalton Wagner (78), OL Atonio Mafi (56), DT Treven Ma’ae (68), ED Jahfari Harvey (91), LB Brian Asamoah (53), CB Greedy Vance Jr. (41), S Terrell Edmunds (48), S J.T. Woods (40)
Practice squad exempt (1): OL Laki Tasi (79 | IPPP)
Injured reserve (2): S Lonnie Johnson Jr. (IR-R), QB Aidan O’Connell (IR-R)
Las Vegas has some familiar names on the practice squad, whether they be former Patriot Atonio Mafi or ex-first-round draft pick Terrell Edmunds. Also worth pointing out is safety Lonnie Johnson Jr., who would have projected as a top-three member of the team’s rotation at his position if not for a broken fibula suffered in August.
Raiders coaching staff
Head coach: Pete Carroll
Coordinators: Chip Kelly (OC), Patrick Graham (DC), Tom McMahon (ST)
Pete Carroll did not completely overhaul the Raiders’ staff upon arriving. He did bring in veteran coach Chip Kelly as offensive coordinator, but also opted to retain Patrick Graham on defense and Tom McMahon on special teams.
From a Patriots perspective, there are some familiar names on staff, too. Assistant offensive line coach Andy Dickerson and senior offensive assistant Bob Bicknell both spent time in New England during their careers, while defensive assistant /linebackers Tyrone McKenzie was a third-round draft pick by the club in 2009.
