Las Vegas (4-13) at New England (4-13)
Sunday, 1 p.m., EDT, CBS
Series record: Patriots lead 20-17-1.
Last meeting: Raiders beat Patriots 21-17 on Oct. 15, 2023, in Las Vegas.
Raiders offense: overall (27), rush (32), pass (13), scoring (29).
Raiders defense: overall (15), rush (13), pass (15), scoring (26).
Patriots offense: overall (31), rush (13), pass (32), scoring (30).
Patriots defense: overall (22), rush (23), pass (10), scoring (22).
Turnover differential: Raiders minus-16; Patriots minus-11.
RB Ashton Jeanty makes his regular-season debut, and there is pressure on him to produce after the Raiders drafted him sixth this year to bolster a running attack that ranked at the bottom of the NFL. Jeanty also is expected to be involved in the passing game, so expect him to be a major focal point of the offense.
RB TreVeyon Henderson started his NFL career with a bang, returning the opening kickoff of the Patriots' exhibition opener 100 yards for a touchdown. That was on the heels of a consistent training camp and equally strong finish to the exhibition schedule that have underscored the rookie's abilities as a playmaker. It's given New England the best possible problem to work out in the backfield as the coaching staff figures out how to use both Henderson and returning starter Rhamondre Stevenson.
Raiders DE Maxx Crosby vs. Patriots LT Will Campbell. Crosby finished with just 7 1/2 sacks last season — his fewest since 2021 (eight) — after an ankle injury caused him to miss the final four games and have surgery in December. But the four-time Pro Bowler is expected to present a formidable challenge for Campbell, whom the Patriots selected fourth overall in April's draft. Campbell had some early growing pains adjusting to playing tackle at this level, but showed improvement in the latter part of the preseason.
Raiders: QB Kenny Pickett and CB Kyu Blu Kelly are both dealing with hamstring issues, but both practiced without restrictions to begin the week.
Patriots: CB Christian Gonzalez has been sidelined with a hamstring issue since leaving their first padded practice with the injury on July 28. He sat out the team's first two practices this week as well, casting doubt about the availability of the Patriots' best secondary defender.
The Raiders won the past two meetings, but both were in Las Vegas. Their last victory at New England occurred in 1994 when the then-Oakland Raiders prevailed. ... The Patriots had won six consecutive meetings until the Raiders took those most recent games. ... New England has defeated the Raiders in three consecutive games at home. ... This is the first meeting at New England since 2020, a 36-20 Patriots victory.
Pete Carroll takes over as Las Vegas' coach following a year hiatus after leaving Seattle. The 73-year-old will be the oldest coach in the NFL as he looks to rebuild a Raiders team coming off a 4-13 finish last season. ... The Raiders have won six of their past nine season openers, but they've lost two of their most recent three. This is their fourth consecutive opener on the road and fifth in six years. ... Crosby has 105 tackles for loss since his rookie season in 2019, most in the NFL over that time. He also is half a sack from 60. Only two other Raiders players have reached that mark since it became an official statistic in 1982. Greg Townsend (107 1/2) and Howie Long (84) are the others. ... Las Vegas' Brock Bowers led all tight ends with 611 yards after the catch last season. He needs just one double-digit catch game to become the first NFL player with five in his first two seasons. ... QB Geno Smith's 68.5% completion rate since he became a starter in 2022 is the third-best mark over that span for those with a qualified number of pass attempts. ... S Jeremy Chinn can become one of six defensive backs since 1982 to have at least one sack in each of his first six seasons. ... WR Jakobi Meyers is seven catches from 400. He was the only NFL receiver last season with at least 85 targets and no dropped passes, according to Pro Football Focus. ... The Patriots won their opener last season at Cincinnati, then proceeded to lose their next six. It was the first of two six-game losing skids that ultimately led to former coach Jerod Mayo being fired after one season. The job is now in the hands of former Titans coach and Patriots player Mike Vrabel. He has a connection to New England's championship run, having won three Super Bowl rings playing under Bill Belichick. He's now tasked with helping the Patriots rebuild after back-to-back 4-13 seasons. He'll attempt to do it with a staff that includes a slew of former Tennessee coaches. He also hired Josh McDaniels as his offensive coordinator, who is back in New England for his third stint in that role and first since Belichick's departure. ... QB Drake Maye looked like a potential franchise quarterback as a rookie and he has grown so far in McDaniels’ system. In the limited preseason action, he was a little careless with the ball at times. But overall he seems poised to make a jump in Year 2. ... WR Stefon Diggs has built some early chemistry with Maye as Diggs adjusts to his fourth NFL team. With five 100-reception seasons he will be the most accomplished receiver Maye has played with. But it’s unclear how much of a go-to threat he can be coming off knee surgery. ... DT Milton Williams was the team’s most expensive free agency acquisition and has been the standout for the D-line. He should help the Patriots improve on their NFL-low 28 sacks last season.
Stevenson became the eighth Patriots player to rush for 100 yards in a season opener after a 120-yard effort in last year's opening win at Cincinnati. The Patriots will be looking to have back-to-back 100-yard rushers in a season opener for the third time in team history. The Raiders defense ranked 22nd in the NFL last season, allowing 116.9 yards per game.
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