When it comes to the most important takeaways from the Patriots’ lopsided win over the Raiders on Sunday, that honor of course goes to Drake Maye. He’s key story No. 1, and probably Nos. 2-10. Getting that level of quarterback play in the NFL is simply that important.
Maye deserves all the flowers he received postgame. No doubt about it.
But there is another way to look at that game: It could have gone very sideways for New England if Rhamondre Stevenson didn’t step up, play hurt, and help carry the offense in a first half that was much closer than the final score indicated.
Could the Patriots have actually lost this game if not for Stevenson? Probably not. It’s hard to lose a game against a sub-mediocre opponent when the quarterback is playing lights-out football. But!
- He scored a tie-breaking touchdown from the 5-yard line one snap after a Morgan Moses false start moved the ball back from the goal line.
- He gained the first 21 yards of the Patriots’ field-flipping third drive and the first 27 yards of the Patriots’ fourth drive, which ended with Maye’s touchdown pass to Hunter Henry from the 11-yard line before halftime.
- He finished a 14-yard catch-and-run by absolutely bulldozing cornerback Darien Porter, one play before Maye ran in a touchdown to push the game into blowout territory.
- His backup, TreVeyon Henderson, left with an ankle injury after just five (and a half) touches, while third-stringer Corey Kiner fumbled the football away on his first touch when the team was trying to give Stevenson a bit of a breather late in the first half.
- He was one week removed from a knee injury that threatened his availability to even suit up for this game.
Had Stevenson opted to sit out and rest his knee, the Patriots’ stability in the backfield would have been tremendously shaky, with or without a midgame Henderson injury. And while the final scoreboard may indicate the game was a total laugher, it’s fair to question what the shape of the game would have been if not for Stevenson punching in one touchdown and kicking off two other touchdown drives in the first half.
Considering the knee injury, Stevenson would have been well within his rights to handle it cautiously and leave the game in the hands of his teammates. But he played, and he played well. They probably could have won without him, but his performance was instrumental in ensuring the Patriots wouldn’t have to worry about anything in the second half.
He may not wear the C on his jersey, but that was a captain-level afternoon from Stevenson.
What else did we learn from the Patriots’ 45-17 thumping of the previously 3-1 Raiders? Glad you asked.
— Kindle Vildor takes the “Next Man Up” mantra very, very seriously. It’s a cliche, but it’s true, and Vildor played this game like he’s a 28-year-old seven-year NFL veteran who wants desperately to prove he belongs in this league.
A fifth-round pick of the Bears in 2020, Vildor was a full-time player for the Bears in 2021 and 2022, and he likewise took on heavy usage after joining Detroit in 2023. Yet he fell off to the point where he was essentially competing with undrafted free agents this summer in Patriots training camp, eventually earning a spot on the practice squad.
And with four cornerbacks not playing due to injury, he got his first real shot and absolutely made the most of it.
Vildor was aggressive, he was active, and he was well on his way to having a good day before making two second-half plays that made it a great day.
The first was a third-down pass breakup on Brock Bowers, who himself was a one-man wrecking crew vs. the Patriots. That was the only true incompletion that Kirk Cousins threw to Bowers all day, as the only other target that didn’t land in Bowers’ hands was a pass disrupted by Gabe Jacas.
The second came on a fourth-down conversion for the Raiders, which unsurprisingly went to Bowers. As Kevin Byard brought Bowers down, Vildor punched the ball out and Craig Woodson recovered the loose ball. Maye followed that up with a 49-yard bomb to Kyle Williams a few plays later, and the rout was officially on.
With no Christian Gonzalez, no Carlton Davis, no Channing Canada and no Karon Prunty, a massive opportunity opened for Vildor. He took that opportunity seriously.
— Elijah Ponder is tied for sixth in the NFL with 4.5 sacks. Nobody drafted him last year. He makes $1 million.
That’s crazy.
Ponder’s signing bonus was $15,000. Some of you reading this might have gotten bigger signing bonuses with your company. And there’s no way you could get even one sack in the NFL.
Ponder’s been the star of the most surprising aspect of the Patriots this season: their consistent, ferocious pass rush.
He was huge in this one, sacking Kirk Cousins on third down in the second quarter to force a punt (though Ponder was the beneficiary of Milton Williams’ disruption), strip-sacking Cousins before halftime to ensure the Patriots’ 21-7 lead would remain intact, and making Cousins run for his life and throw the ball away on a third-and-13, leading to Vegas settling for a field goal.
The pass rush has very much been a group effort, and Dre’Mont Jones blowing up a reverse for an 11-yard loss helped take points off the board for Vegas. But Ponder entered this season with some unreasonable expectations placed upon his shoulders. Through five games, he’s far surpassed them already.
— OK, fine, it’s time for some Drake Maye discussion. Frankly, there’s not a ton to break down with Maye, because so much of what he did was just obviously good. You don’t have to be Merrill Hoge or Sean Salisbury to break that down on tape.
But to me, what stood out most about Maye was simply his command of the field and the entire game. He felt pressure and escaped appropriately. He kept his eyes upfield while scrambling. His composure — on a pair of fourth downs, in the red zone, in pockets clean and dirty — was evident even from afar.
It wasn’t strange to see Maye look like the quarterback he was for most of last year. The only strange part is that he didn’t look that way to start the year.
Over his last two games, he’s thrown seven touchdowns while rushing for 79 yards and a touchdown. His lone “interception” came off a deflection from turf level by Romeo Doubs. In case it wasn’t clear, he is — officially — back.
Now here, watch this throw to Eli Raridon, with Kevin Byard delivering appropriate commentary.
— In terms of low points from this game, you have the injuries to Will Campbell and TreVeyon Henderson (and maybe Dre’Mont Jones), and you have the continued trouble with making difficult and/or contested catches for Romeo Doubs.
Doubs couldn’t haul in what could have been a 34-yard touchdown pass in the second quarter on a play that came just after the electric Efton Chism lateral and an 11-yard screen to Henderson. The Patriots ended up punting on that drive. He couldn’t make another potential touchdown catch early in the fourth quarter, losing his body control while going up for a perfectly placed pass over the defender’s back. And he didn’t make a catch up the right sideline on New England’s first drive, after being interfered with.
For a variety of reasons, the Patriots were likely wise to move on from Stefon Diggs after one season. But it stands out that Diggs caught everything thrown his way. Kayshon Boutte also had a remarkable knack for hauling in deep balls for this offense. Early on, Doubs has found some trouble in that department.
With 13 catches for 213 yards and a pair of touchdowns, Doubs has been fine. He’s on pace to catch close to 80 passes for more than 700 yards. The Patriots presumably signed him to be their No. 1 receiver in the event that an A.J. Brown trade never came to fruition. They’re likely quite relieved that it did.
— In terms of other offseason moves that raised eyebrows around NFL circles, the Patriots used their first-round pick on a player whom they hoped to not have to use at all in his rookie year. While the Patriots’ lack of depth in multiple spots made that a questionable decision, the latest injury to Campbell makes them look pretty smart.
Caleb Lomu, in his first extended action at left tackle, looked good. He was sturdy, he was aggressive, and he was strong. He did allow a pressure in the end zone (Maye escaped and threw a dart to DeMario Douglas, whose slight bobble cost the team a highlight play) but was definitely effective, especially in pass protection.
Last year, the Patriots had Vederian Lowe fill in for Campbell during his injury absence, and their decision to go with Lomu appears to be working out, with Campbell expected to miss “some time” with a knee sprain.
— Drake Maye was 8-for-8 when targeting Kyle Williams or Eli Raridon. He was 12-for-15 when targeting Douglas, Chism or Henry. He was 5-for-5 when throwing to his running backs, too.
That says plenty about Maye, but it also speaks to the receivers and rookie tight end stepping up without Mack Hollins. We all wondered who would do what, but it turned out to be a group effort.
(Really, with contributions from role players and unheralded guys on both sides of the ball, this was a win that had to have endeared this team to the members of the 2001 team who were in attendance.)
Williams showing signs of life (3 receptions, 91 yards, TD) is probably the most encouraging development, but Chism being a legitimate NFL player (5 receptions, 57 yards, bonkers lateral on the run) is a close second. While there’s some light at the end of the A.J. Brown tunnel (he’s eligible to come off IR this week), the Patriots still have to navigate the near future without Hollins and perhaps without Brown. It figures to be a top-receiver-by-committee situation, but Maye showed Sunday that he’s willing to spread it around to make it all work.
