Patriots Grades: Drake Maye, Many Others Can Improve

Maye’s season-opener was largely defined by the terms “ebb and flow.” He finished the day going 30-of-46 for 287 yards and one touchdown, with one interception. For the newly-turned 23-year-old, it was a tale of two halves. 

Taking full advantage of a first-half interception by safety Jaylinn Hawkins, Maye led his team 82 yards on 12 plays, culminating in a scoring strike to receiver DeMario Douglas. In spite of the wet weather conditions, Maye and the Pats utilized the passing game to advance the ball to put New England into the red zone. Douglas was able to identify Las Vegas’ coverage pre-snap, and quickly broke open to secure a 3-yard touchdown pass from Maye. Unfortunately, Maye and the Pats were inconsistent in the second half, falling victim to a third-quarter strip-sack and an inconsistent ability to penetrate a lockdown Raiders defense. Overall, the Pats second-year starter showed flashes of promise on Sunday. However, there is still much work to do heading into Week 2 and beyond.

Grade: C

RUNNING BACKS

Though many expected the wet weather conditions to force an alternative game plan, offensive coordiantor Josh McDaniels opted for a more pass-heavy attack against the Raiders — thus limiting the playing time of the Pats’ trio of running backs. Veteran Rhamondre Stevenson led the position group by taking 46 snaps, while exciting rookie TreVeyon Henderson lined up for only 25. Perhaps most surprising was the usage of reserve back Antonio Gibson to just five offensive plays. In order for the Patriots to reverse their offensive woes, McDaniels and Co. must find a way to spark their running game — especially Henderson who needs to be provided greater opportunity to get into space to maximize his play-making abilities.

Grade: C-

RECEIVERS

While New England’s offense was largely devoid of bright spots in Week 1, receiver Kayshon Boutte certainly made the most of his position-leading 58 snaps. Boutte caught six passes for a career-high 103 yards — his longest reception coming on a 24-yard connection with Maye in the first quarter, helping to set up the Pats only touchdown. DeMario Douglas, the recipient of Maye’s sole scoring strike on Sunday, aligned on 45 snaps finishing with -2 yards receiving. 

In an attempt to ease receiver Stefon Diggs back into game action, the Patriots aligned the two-time All-Pro on just 29 snaps. However, Diggs did catch six passes for 57 yards in limited duty. New England lacked both play-making and speed on Sunday — a problem which could be mitigated by providing more than one target (resulting in one catch for 12 yards) to rookie Kyle Williams.

Grade C+

TIGHT ENDS

Whenever trouble arises, Maye often opts for tight end Hunter Henry, arguably his most reliable target. Henry was once again the quarterback’s proverbial security blanket, catching four passes for 66 yards — including the Pats’ longest pass play of the day for 27 yards during their only touchdown drive of the game. Austin Hooper caught only one pass for 10 yards, but helped advance the Patriots’s scoring drive. Heading into Week 2, both Henry and Hooper — along with fullback/TE Jack Westover — will need to improve their run blocking from Sunday’s efforts.

Grade: C+

OFFENSIVE LINE

The entire starting offensive line consisting of left tackle Will Campbell, left guard Jared Wilson, center Garrett Bradbury, right guard Michael Onwenu and right tackle Morgan Moses went the distance in Week 1, aligning on all 71 offensive snaps. While the line itself held up well throughout the first half, the left side began to break a bit — headlined by a tough fourth quarter for rookie Will Campbell. 

With just over five minutes remaining in the second half, Raiders rusher Malcom Koonce showcased his abilities by beating Campbell to strip Maye of the football. While Campbell was able to recover the football, he was whistled for a false start to effectively stall the fourth-quarter drive. Campbell will undoubtedly work with line coach Doug Marrone this week on both technique and fundamentals as he moves past his trial-by-fire against the Raiders pass-rush “monster” tandem of Maxx Crosby and Malcolm Koonce. Though Crosby won his share of battles against Campbell and Moses, the latter only allowed three hurries on 18 one-on-one matchups at right tackle.

Grade: C

DEFENSE

DEFENSIVE LINE

New England’s highest-priced free agent acquisition Milton Williams proved that he will likley be worth the $104 million investment by opening the season strong against the Raiders. Having aligned on 49 snaps, Williams was credited with six pressures and two run-stuffs, thus making a notable impact on the team’s defensive front. Christian Barmore logged five tackles, while newcomer Khyiris Tonga earned three tackles and 1.5 run-stuffs. Though the Pats struggled more than they succeeded on Sunday, their defensive line played reasonably well — ultimately holding Raiders’ rookie running back Ashton Jeanty to 38 yards on 19 carries.

Grade: B

LINEBACKERS

Linebacker Harold Landry entered 2025 while being touted as a “ideal” fit within coach Mike Vrabel’s defense. Throughout each of his 48 snaps against the Raiders, he appeared to adequately fit that description. Landry compiled 2.5 sacks, five total pressures, and three run-stuffs, adding some much-promised aggression to New England’s front seven. He also played a key role in notching a key hit on Las Vegas’ quarterback Geno Smith, leading to a third-down sack by Hawkins. Ex-Raider K’Lavon Chiasson chipped in, earning three tackles, a quarterback hit and 0.5 sacks.

Grade B

CORNERBACKS

In the absence of second team All-Pro Christian Gonzalez, Alex Austin assumed the starting role opposite Carlton Davis for Sunday’s matchup — parlaying a strong showing during both training camp and the preseason into a notable role in the Pats secondary in 2025. Austin looked every bit the part of a starter, collecting five total tackles, one tackle-for-loss and remained in the mix on several targets of Las Vegas’ receivers, including former Pats receiver Jakobi Meyers. Davis had two pass deflections, one of which facilitated Hawkins’ interception. Yet, he was beat on a vertical route by Las Vegas’ wideout Dont'e Thornton on a key third down late in the game.

Grade: C

SAFETIES

Hawkins was quite effective on Sunday, finishing the day with five total tackles, two for loss, one quarterback hit, one sack, one pass deflection and an interception. His pick was his first as a member of the Patriots, securing a pass tipped by Carlton Davis. Overall, Hawkins demonstrated great instincts when defending the rush, as well as when making plays around the ball. However, both he and rookie Craig Woodson will need to improve their performance in man coverage moving forward. Former team captain Kyle Dugger and second-year safety Dell Pettus each contributed two tackles.

Grade: C

SPECIAL TEAMS

Patriots rookie kicker Andres Borregales missed his first regular-season field-goal attempt, a would-be 40-yarder field in the second quarter. However, Borregales redeemed himself by making a 35-yarder in the second quarter. Punter Bryce Baringer uncharacteristically struggled for much of the day, most notably on a 21-yard punt late in the fourth quarter which failed to pin the Raiders deep into their territory. The Pats’ brightest spot in the game’s third phase came from running back Antonio Gibson, who returned the opening kickoff for 41 yards. While the Pats failed to commit an overly egregious mistake on special teams, they must find a way to execute more consistently moving forward.

Grade: C-

OVERALL GRADE: C-