Pats Pulpit
The New England Patriots entered the 2025 season with genuine optimism under new head coach Mike Vrabel and an active offseason that saw them add key pieces to the roster in free agency and through the draft. The defense was expected to take a leap, and second-year QB Drake Maye was discussed as a rising star. New England was projected for 8.5 wins and sleeper potential in a winnable AFC East.
But Week 1 delivered a sobering reality check. Many viewed the Raiders as beatable, but the Pats managed to lose 20-13 in a sloppy, low-scoring match at Gillette Stadium. Maye showed flashes of big-play ability but got battered behind an offensive line that allowed 9 QB hits and 4 sacks. Insult to injury: Geno Smith broke a 45-year franchise record for most passing yards in his debut as a Raider. Ouch!
Heading into Week 2, the Pats have slid down in the power rankings. The experts are mostly willing to give the team a chance to pull it together before writing them off as a middling-t0-lower tier AFC team. Concerns about the O-line, the run game and secondary will have to be addressed if the team wants to progress.
This Sunday takes us to Miami, the first road game of the season. The Dolphins lost worse than the Pats did last week (33-8), and the funny thing is that they are looking at their matchup with the Pats as a “get right game.” It will be a test of mental toughness for sure. Who wants it more?
GO PATS!!
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Around the AFC East:
Buffalo Bills (1-0) at New York Jets (0-1)
New England Patriots (0-1) at Miami Dolphins (0-1)
AFC Matchups:
Cincinnati Bengals (1-0) vs. Jacksonville Jaguars (1-0)
Indianapolis Colts (1-0) vs. Denver Broncos (1-0)
Los Angeles Chargers (1-0) at Las Vegas Raiders (1-0)
Pittsburgh Steelers (1-0) vs. Seattle Seahawks (0-1)
Baltimore Ravens (0-1) vs. Cleveland Browns (0-1)
Houston Texans (0-1) vs. Tampa Bay Buccaneers (1-0)
Tennessee Titans (0-1) vs. Los Angeles Rams (1-0)
Kansas City Chiefs (0-1) vs. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
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24th – Mike Florio (ProFootball Talk): Hopefully, home wins haven’t been banned from Gillette Stadium. [-4]
25th – Nate Davis (USA Today): A disappointing opener for a team that made so many offseason adjustments. But WR Kayshon Boutte does now have consecutive 100-yard receiving games after getting his first in the 2024 regular-season finale. [-6]
25th – Eric Edholm (NFL.com): *Drake Maye’s final stat line looked a lot better than he played against the Raiders. There were protection issues, and the run game never really got going, but Maye also missed some open guys, misfired some passes and failed to sense pressure a few times. Maye was hit on the third-quarter interception, but it was the turning point in the game. Rookie left tackle Will Campbell had a tough day, allowing a strip sack and committing two false starts in the second half. The second one compelled Mike Vrabel to punt down two scores late....
