Patriots Hand Bills First Loss in New Highmark Stadium, Raiders Up Next
After a difficult week under fire from media, including the NFL power rankings placing New England 31st ahead of only the Titans, the Patriots pulled it together to put up a win against the Buffalo Bills. After the loss to the Jaguars in Week 3, there were increasing questions surrounding the team moving forward, but the Pats silenced some questions in their 29-26 victory on Sunday. Drake Maye bounced back from his forgettable performance in Week 3 and delivered a confidence boosting game. Maye was looking like himself again securing 269 passing yards, 3 touchdowns and 1 interception. Maye also led the team in rushing with 54 yards on 8 attempts, outperforming Bills QB Josh Allen.
Postgame, Maye commented “We definitely have to build on this”, highlighting that 2-2 is just one step in the right direction and “you can’t hang your hat” on just a singular win. Maye personifies the mindset fans want to see out of their young quarterback in the process of getting back to form. The offensive line elevated their performance in support of Maye’s return to form by aiding in their highest scoring game of the season.
The offense showed up, primarily with two 4th down conversions and a 2-point conversion against the #3 NFL power ranked team. Romeo Doubs and Hunter Henry spearheaded the receiving game against Buffalo. Doubs hauled in two of Maye's touchdown throws, while Henry led the team in receiving yards. With the unfortunate calf injury sustained by Mack Hollins in the second half, undrafted free agent Efton Chism III stepped up and stole the show. Chism made two extremely difficult catches on the lead taking drive, one of which was a 23-yard one handed game winning touchdown.
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On the defensive side of the ball players were forced to step up due to key players Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore being inactive with injuries. Veteran linebacker Robert Spillane had eight tackles and one forced fumble. Safety Craig Woodson finished with three tackles in his return from injury and snagged the game sealing interception on Josh Allen. Rookie LB Gabe Jacas continues to make his presence felt on the defense, as he ranks 2nd among all rookies with an 84.4 PFF defensive grade and the 3rd highest pass rush grade in the NFL with an 89.1. Some focus was taken off Jacas in Week 4 with previously injured Dre’Mont Jones back in the lineup to help both him and Elijah Ponder off the edge.
The next opponent on the Patriots schedule is the 3-1 Las Vegas Raiders, who are coming off their first loss of the season to the Chiefs. The Raiders this year have surpassed the majority of fans' expectations after ending up with the first overall pick this past draft and selecting Heisman winning QB Fernando Mendoza. While Mendoza has potential to show in due time, they also signed veteran QB Kirk Cousins, and he has been the starter and mentor for Mendoza. So far this season, the new identity Raiders have beaten teams of note including the Saints and Chargers. They also led the Chiefs at halftime on Monday night football but ultimately dropped the game 30-27.
According to BetMGM, New England comes into the game as –3.5-point favorites; despite the Raiders having both the better record of 3-1 and the better power ranking by the NFL at 12. Stepping into this Week 5 matchup, the Pats have a ‘prove it game’ ahead of them. The Patriots need to show the league that their win against the Bills wasn't a fluke. The main reasons the Patriots are favorites for this game include the home field advantage and the results of games both teams are coming off of against division rivals.
My Take?
The Patriots are rightfully the favorites entering this game. An important note is the Raiders running game suffering from their abysmal offensive line, despite having the strong talents in the backfield with Ashton Jeanty and Mike Washington Jr. If New England’s front seven can expose the Raiders line struggles and get Cousins rattled early, I could see the defense having a field day capitalizing off their offensive mistakes. The Patriots may be without some key game pieces again if CB Christian Gonzalez and DT Christian Barmore sit due to injury for a second straight week. Offensively, it will be a tall task for the tackles, especially second year LT Will Campbell going up against 5x Pro Bowl DE Maxx Crosby. If the offensive line can keep a clean pocket for Maye, he should easily be able to dice up the Raiders' subpar pass defense. My final score prediction is 34-17 Patriots. I can see big contributions from both Doubs, who seems to be building his connection with Maye, as well as RB TreVeyon Henderson if they can establish the run.
My Record: 0-2
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