The New England Patriots officially opened their season on Sept. 8 at Gillette Stadium. The Patriots took on the Las Vegas Raiders in a competitive home game after finishing their 2025 pre-season with a 2-1 record, only falling short to the New York Giants. Their record left them ranked 23rd moving into the regular season. On the contrary, the Raiders ended their preseason with a 0-3 record, going into their first game ranked 25th in the league. Despite the rankings, the Raiders clinched their first win of the season, defeating the Patriots 20-13.
The Raiders’ offense gave Las Vegas the early lead, scoring the first touchdown of the game at 12:17 in the first quarter. Wide receiver, Tre Tucker, scored off a 26 yard pass from Raiders quarterback, Geno Smith. Smith was traded to Las Vegas in March after five years with the Seattle Seahawks, which allowed for him to reconnect with former coach Pete Carroll. The two had first worked together during the 2022 and 2023 seasons in Seattle when Carroll was the head coach for the Seahawks. The Patriots were able to get themselves on the board, with wide receiver DeMario Douglas scoring a touchdown off of a two yard pass from Drake Maye at 1:02. After Douglas’s successful touchdown, kicker Andy Borregales made the extra point.
Borregales continued his success moving into the second quarter, making a 35 yard field goal, putting the Patriots in the lead 10-7. He was selected in the sixth round of the 2025 draft with the intention of developing his youthful skill set. His potential shined through during his time playing college football at the University of Miami, starting on the field from his freshman through senior year. Borregales ultimately earned the starting position for the Patriots John Parker Romo was released in late August.
The Raiders brought their successful offense from the first quarter into the third with rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, scoring his first National Football League (NFL) touchdown at 9:29. The Raiders were able to take back the lead; however, fans were disappointed in the limited offensive production by Jeanty after being drafted out of Boise State University as the sixth overall pick in the 2025 draft. Following the touchdown, Raiders kicker, Daniel Carlson made the 51 yard field goal with 52 seconds remaining in the quarter. This put the Patriots even more behind moving into the final quarter with a score of 17-10.
The fourth quarter lacked major plays with zero touchdowns being scored in the game’s final 15 minutes. To close out the game, Carlson made a 40 yard field goal at 6:46, followed by a 44 yard field goal by Borregales at 0:19. With the success of Carlson, the Raiders left New England victorious.
Despite the high hopes for Patriots fans with the addition of new head coach, Mike Vrabel, they fell short of fans expectations. Vrabel’s post game interview emphasized his disappointment in the lack of consistency and the need to stay ready for their next opponent. However, there are still four months remaining in the season, with games available on CBS, Hulu, NFL+, and Paramount+.
