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Welcome back to the program. The Raiders visit the Patriots this Sunday on CBS and both teams experienced opposite results at the end of the fourth quarter. Las Vegas narrowly lost to the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. The Patriots narrowly won in Buffalo, at the new Highmark Stadium. The silver and black team is looking to do what the Pats did last year: go from last to first. Regarding the last three matches between these two teams. Most recently in 2025, it was week one, the season opener, which Vegas won. They were bad the rest of the way. New England was good the rest of the way. It seems like that week one meeting was ages ago. Let's bring in our guys, Ryan Wilson and John Breech.
Guys, if we start with the one from New England, the dramatic victory they had there in Buffalo against Josh Allen. And if you'll excuse me, I'm going to apologize for the dad jokes that are coming up. And John Breech, this is just for you. Maybe Drake isn't so bad after all. Yes. I love good dad jokes, yes. Yes, I love good dad jokes. Come on, Tommy. We could write a book about dad jokes. But the only thing I will say about Drake May is that I feel there was a bit of panic in New England during the first three weeks. Then you have this big sigh of relief because he finally played well against Buffalo. I think Patriots fans were starting to worry a little that maybe what happened
last year was just a fluke or because of the easy schedule or something. But this is the Drake May you thought you were going to see in week one and week two. It finally appears in week four. So that's good. But the question is, can he consistently play this well? Because look, this is a Bills defense that was a little battered. They haven't been very good this year. They allowed more than 30 points against the Texans in week one, and more than 30 points against the Lions in week two. So, actually destroying this defense, I 'm not sure that proves you've already overcome the obstacle. Let's see what he does against this Raiders defense. So, yes, I think it was very encouraging that Drake May played well against the Bills in week four,
but he needs to do it again. They need to play consistent football if the Patriots are going to have a chance of getting back to where they were last year. funny rollercoaster ride you go through with these young quarterbacks. In his final year at UNC, Drake Maye did not play as well as the previous year. And then he was on fire, he played well as a rookie and he was really on fire last year. Tommy talked about going from last to first on the road to the Super Bowl. And then, this year, it seemed like he forgot to play football for the first three weeks. And then, magically against the Buffalo Bills, whom many consider the best team in the AFC, they actually outplayed them. But Brees is right.
You need to start seeing consistency. And the big criticism that we all talked about this summer was: well, this is going to be a tough schedule. And the difficult schedule turned out to be exactly that during the first month. And it's surprisingly difficult in this matchup against a Raiders team that many of us didn't think would be at this point. But consistency is key. Josh McDaniels has a great track record with these young quarterbacks, Tommy. It's just a matter of Drake Maye, in many ways, stopping getting in his own way and keeping things simple. And perhaps in this game we'll see more of Drake Maye on the ground. They still have the two-headed monster, Trayveon Henderson and Rhamondre Stevenson. And I'm going to throw out some stats on this
Raiders run defense. And John, I'll give you the floor first again. So, week one, 74 rushing yards against Miami, which is okay, but then 127, 148, and 189. So, specifically on the ground in that aspect, what are you looking for here? Okay, Tommy, first of all, let 's rule out week one. If you played well against the Dolphins, we can't count that. That's just a preseason game. But you look at the last three weeks and it's been absolutely ugly for the Raiders. They have allowed an average of 154 yards per game on the ground in three games. That 's the most in the NFL over the last three weeks. The Packers are the only other team that has allowed even more than 150 yards per game. So, if you're having the same
conversation as the Packers' defense, you're not playing well. So, if you're playing against the Raiders, all you want to do is get the ball rolling. Launch your ground attack. So, if you're Josh McDaniels, I think that's the game plan here. This is your chance to take some of the pressure off Drake Maye. He doesn't need to carry the offensive. You mentioned Traveon Henderson, Rhamondre Stevenson, and Traveon Henderson. Those are the guys you want to get going in this game.
This is a game where you can run the ball 40 times. You only need to throw 20 or 25 passes. And it's not just the fact that the Raiders have had trouble stopping the run. They are giving up 5.2 yards per carry. That means you get a first down against the Raiders for every two carries. It's just about running the ball, running the ball, and running the ball until they prove they can't stop you. And here's a fun fact for you. Mike Vrabel, uh, the Patriots are 9 and 1 when they rush at least 130 yards since Mike Vrabel took over as head coach. So I think running the ball seems to be the secret recipe for Sunday.
Ryan, if I come to you along those same lines about the Raiders' defense, specifically in the fourth quarter. Now, I know the Chiefs were able to score a lot of points, but they started a series that was like a combination of the end of the third and the beginning of the fourth. So, that distorts it a little. But how concerned are you about what you saw from the Raiders' defense, especially at the end? Yes, regarding the ground game, Tommy, it wasn't like they gave up 5.2 yards. Breaches is right about that. The problem wasn't one pass after another. It was the explosive plays where Kenneth Walker III runs alone deep into the secondary on his way to the
end zone. So they're going to have to limit that. Hey, you also talk about the point explosion last week against the Chiefs, when before that they had been really good. And there are some nuances, as you rightly point out. But at the end of the day, they have to avoid explosive plays. And it's not like the Patriots are dazzling the world with their running game. So they can stop the race and then force Drake Maye to pitch. We know who Maxx Crosby is. Malcolm Koonce had a good start to the season. Hezekiah Mims has played well as a rookie in high school. He has three interceptions. Nakobe Dean is also there and has done a very good job as a linebacker. But they have to work this out in the
last 15 to 20 minutes, let's say. But, I will say this, even though the Patriots looked good against that Bills defense that Breach and I talked about earlier this week, it's not a good unit. The Chiefs went all out, Breach. So, I think it's a big demand not only for the Raiders in this game, but also because of the Raiders' trip east, which you talk about all the time. That's a disadvantage for West Coast teams. Yes, obviously, yes. Losing a heartbreaking game against a division rival and then having to fly across the country to play at 10:00 a.m.
This is how the Raiders players will feel in their bodies. It's not great. But when you look at the last quarter, I don't know if that's a concern yet. I mean, it's about Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs. It's one of the best offenses in the NFL. So, when this Raiders team arrives in New England, will it look like the team we saw during the first three weeks or like the one from week four against the Chiefs? That team didn't play badly against Kansas City. Again, it was just a last-quarter collapse against a great team. And against a Chiefs team that knows them well because they are in the same division. Obviously, that's not the case here with this game against the Patriots. So, the collapse in the last quarter isn't really a concern for me
. I think the Raiders can absolutely beat the Patriots and overtake them in the fourth quarter. So, I think what we saw from the Raiders in the first three weeks, we'll find out this week if it's for real. I don't think it's a big deal that they lost a game against a good team in Kansas City. Definitely. It's just that the Chiefs have their number and have won every game at Allegiant Stadium since it opened in 2020. But it's still an opportunity for a surprising Raiders team, which is still a lot of fun when the Raiders are playing well and not just an easy opponent. But Ryan, let me come back to you about something they've done well this year, which is scoring points. Although it's been a lot
of Kirk Cousins at tight ends and perhaps not as much Ashton Jeanty as people would certainly like. How concerned are you about the kind of gap we're seeing in production here? Do you think it's sustainable, or would you like to see a bit more Jeanty on land? Oh, no. It is not sustainable. Once you become one-dimensional, Tommy, you allow teams to attack you, especially if you shoot more than 50 times per game. And you can ask any coach, they don't want any quarterback, whether he's 22 or 38-year-old Kirk Cousins, throwing 52 times per game, even if he has 11 touchdowns in four games. Ashton Jeanty's situation is baffling because he was the sixth overall pick, had a fantastic career at Boise State, and it just hasn't translated
yet. Part of that is that the offensive line has been hit hard. Jackson Powers-Johnson missed last week due to injury. So there was no consistency, but it's not like Ashton Jeanty was Adrian Peterson coming out of college in his first 2 years in the league. So they have to make that work because Brock Bowers is absolutely the number one wide receiver on that team. Michael Mayer could be the second wide receiver, Breach, but you have to have some balance. Very good, guys. It's time for predictions. Breach, what do you think?
Oh, I think this will be a close game. We know that the Raiders went to New England and beat the Patriots in week one last year. This will be an absolute thriller, as long as Drake Maye doesn't throw three interceptions, which is certainly possible. We're not going to rule it out, but I don't think he'll do it. I think it will look more or less like it did in week four, and it will do enough to lead the Patriots to a 27-24 victory. That's the score I had, Breach, 27-24. You mentioned your 9-1 record with rushing numbers for the Patriots. I have another statistic for you: 9-1. The Patriots are 9-1 in their last 10 home games. So I think it will be a close race. And maybe it's like that playoff game with
Tom Brady's fake pass in 2001, Tommy, that still has people fired up in Oakland and now in Las Vegas. But, 27-24, it will be closed. But now the Patriots are back where we thought they were and there's nothing more to worry about in New England Ryan, you just reminded me of something I can mention to Amy Trask on Friday. Thank you for that. Well, maybe I was wondering. who will Tom Brady support, Tommy? That's a good one, that's another one. Look at this. I like you. I can bring up some topics for Amy Trask in her Friday talks. Ryan, John, thank you very much for that. There you have it. Raiders vs Patriots is part of the four early games at 1:00 PM ET. Only one at 4:05. Broncos and Chargers, will LAC manage any victories? It could
happen at home on Sunday on CBS and Paramount Plus.
