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The New England Patriots entered Sunday with new intrigue. Franchise legend Mike Vrabel returned to lead the franchise, this time with previous playoff credentials in tow from the Tennessee Titans. But he and the Pats left Week 1 with underwhelming results against the Las Vegas Raiders.
To further boot, the Pats lost to a former head coach of the franchise in Pete Carroll. The same Carroll facing critics who believed he’s considered too old to lead an NFL franchise as an HC.
Carroll and Vrabel shared two things in common: Leading playoff runs and owning a Super Bowl ring.
Except the 74-year-old Carroll out-coached Vrabel, even in his own game.
Vrabel established a reputation as a hard-nosed defensive coach, using his linebacker past to install the personality. But Carroll unleashed a more stout defensive approach inside Gillette Stadium.
Drake Maye walked in as one Patriots player expected to flourish under Vrabel. The head coach ensured Maye has his vote of confidence.
Now many wonder if Maye has too much on his plate this soon in his Pats career. Others are questioning if the quarterback has the right protection up front.
The 2024 Raiders delivered three four-to-five sack performances last season — all three occurring after Thanksgiving. Carroll and returning defensive coordinator Patrick Graham got Vegas to hit the four mark on Sunday. The Raiders took advantage of Maye’s knack for stepping into the pocket instead of escaping it when under duress.
The high number of sacks leaves fans wondering if Vrabel must tinker with the trenches. And for this next reason.
Vrabel not long ago rode the legs and power of Derrick Henry. The duo produced multiple playoff runs together, including the run to the AFC Championship game in the 2019 season.
The head coach obviously doesn’t have a Henry-like back in Foxborough. He did have savvy veteran Rhamondre Stevenson and talented rookie TreyVeyon Henderson to work with.
But the front five created minimal running run against the Silver and Black. Vegas bottled the Patriots to a dismal 60 rushing yards.
Henderson delivered the best yardage results — but at only 27. Stevenson settled for 15 yards and averaged just 2.1 yards per carry.
Sacking Geno Smith rose as one positive for the Pats. Smith got tussled four times to match Maye’s total.
Yet the veteran still picked apart the secondary with 362 passing yards — his best output since Nov. 3 against the Raiders while with the Seattle Seahawks. Smith even hit nine completions that passed 20 yards.
New England clearly ran a predictable set of coverages against Smith. He found the right reads and shredded the secondary.
Smith discovered middle linebacker Christian Elliss as a weak link. Elliss surrendered six receptions for 69 yards facing Smith’s arm according to Pro Football Focus. Deep safety Jaylinn Hawkins got torched too...
