The New England Patriots have won back-to-back games for the first time all season, and they did so in impressive fashion. The team of head coach Mike Vrabel left the visiting Las Vegas Raiders little chance in a 45-17 blowout at Gillette Stadium on Sunday.
Here is a Patriots-centric view at some of those key moments from the game.
Moment No. 1: Quick strike
After forcing a three-and-out to open the game, the Patriots offense quickly went to work and needed just five plays to take its first lead of the game. That lead came courtesy
of quarterback Drake Maye hooking up with wide receiver DeMario Douglas for the latter’s first touchdown of the season.
The play was perfectly executed by all involved. Maye had almost five seconds in the pocket before releasing the ball, while Douglas was able to get wide open against Las Vegas’ zone coverage.
Moment(s) No. 2: Successful aggressiveness
The Patriots made it 2-for-2 on touchdown drives to start the game, but as opposed to the first one, their second took more work. Not only had the team to drive 86 yards this time around, but it also had to move the chains twice on fourth down.
The fact that Mike Vrabel kept the unit on the field in the first place was a clear vote of confidence from its head coach, and it answered accordingly. First, Drake Maye hit DeMario Douglas for a 6-yard gain on 4th-and-2; then, he connected with Hunter Henry for a 7-yard pickup on a 4th-and-3 in the deep Las Vegas red zone.
Two plays later, Rhamondre Stevenson scored a 5-yard touchdown that regained the lead for New England.
Moment No. 3: Big-play defense
The Raiders had led the league in takeaways entering the game, and in the late first half the Patriots found out why. Third-string running back Corey Kiner, who saw extended action after TreVeyon Henderson suffered an ankle injury, got the ball punched out on his first carry of the day.
Las Vegas, recovering the football at the New England 38-yard line, suddenly found itself in prime position to tie the game at 14-all. Enter Dre’Mont Jones, who tackled wide receiver Tre Tucker for a loss of 11 yards on an attempted end-around — a play that ultimately set the stage for kicker Matt Gay missing a 49-yard field goal try to keep the Patriots’ seven-point lead intact.
While other moments deserve to be part of the highlight reel, this play in particular helped swing things for New England and emphatically helped shut the door on the Raiders’ comeback hopes even at this early in the contest.
Moment No. 4: Big-play offense
The Raiders going from being in scoring range to not scoring at all was not the only sequence that set the stage for New England’s victory. So did what followed after the missed field goal: a five-play, 61-yard touchdown drive that gave the Patriots all the momentum heading into the half.
The drive itself was dominated by Hunter Henry. First, the veteran tight end gained 26 yards on a well-executed screen play.
Just one play later, Henry was on the receiving end of another Drake Maye pass. This one saw him find the end zone for the first time all season,
Instead of the game potentially being tied at 14-14 after the Corey Kiner fumble, the Patriots played some perfect complementary football to extend their lead and go into the half up 21-7. And with them receiving the third-quarter kickoff, they had a chance to add to their lead.
They did.
Moment No. 5: Deep ball action
The first four games of Kyle Williams’ second season in the NFL had been relatively quiet. His fifth game, meanwhile, was an impressive effort that ended with three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. That touchdown came on the opening drive of the second half, and helped blow the game wide open for New England.
Williams’ first touchdown catch of the year came from 34 yards out, but it wasn’t even his biggest gain of the day. That came later in the third quarter, when Drake Maye hit him for a gain of 49.
While it remains to be seen how Williams’ role will develop with A.J. Brown nearing a return to action, Sunday was an encouraging step forward for the former third-round draft pick.
