Can the Las Vegas Raiders or New England Patriots become the team to make the playoffs after failing to make it the year prior? Here are the storylines, picks, and best bets for the NFL Week 1 game between the Raiders and Patriots.
Raiders vs. Patriots: Game Information
Building a 53-man roster is everything but an exact science ⤵️https://t.co/zWNKRS4FgC
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders) August 28, 2025
- 🏈 Game: Raiders vs. Patriots
- 📅 Date: Sunday – Sept. 7, 2025
- 🕗 Time: 1 p.m. ET
- 🏟 Location: Gillette Stadium — Foxborough, Massachusetts
- 📺 TV Channel: CBS
- 💻 Live Stream: Paramount+
Top Storyline: Pete Carroll, Mike Vrabel Begin New Head Coaching Journeys
The Nor’easter is here.
Introducing the Patriots 𝙉𝙁𝙇 𝙉𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙍𝙞𝙫𝙖𝙡𝙧𝙞𝙚𝙨 uniform. pic.twitter.com/gQw1P1px3I
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) August 28, 2025
The Raiders and Patriots hired proven winners to lead their teams this season.
After sitting out one season, Pete Carroll returns to the sidelines to coach the Raiders. Carroll is best known for his 14 years as the head coach of the Seattle Seahawks.
Under Carroll, the Seahawks never lost fewer than seven games. Seattle made the postseason 10 times, including two trips to the Super Bowl and a win in Super Bowl XLVIII.
Like Carroll, Vrabel was not a head coach in 2024. Vrabel previously coached the Tennessee Titans for six seasons.
Vrabel took the Titans to the postseason in three consecutive seasons (2019-2021) and reached the AFC Championship in 2019.
Carroll and Vrabel will look to install a tough, winning culture at their respective destinations.
Raiders vs. Patriots: Picks and Best Bets
Raiders +2.5 (+100)
Both coaches are very similar in their strategies. Carroll and Vrabel want to run the ball, control the clock, and play sound defense.
Vegas arguably had the worst quarterback play in 2024. The trio of Gardner Minshew, Desmond Ridder, and Aidan O’Connell combined for four wins last year.
Carroll traded for Seattle’s Geno Smith, the same quarterback who led the Seahawks to the postseason in 2022. The Raiders also drafted Ashton Jeanty, the best running back in college football.
The defense is a work in progress, especially in the secondary. However, Maxx Crosby is still as elite as it gets on the defensive line.
The biggest issues for the Patriots were at the offensive line and wide receiver. Under Vrabel, the team completely revamped their offensive line, which includes rookies Will Campbell and Jared Wilson.
The team also signed Stefon Diggs to be the team’s No. 1 wide receiver.
Can this new-look offensive line protect Drake Maye? That is the top question.
I expect Crosby to be a menace in the Patriots’ backfield, and Smith will make enough plays to pull out a close win on the road.
Drake Maye Over 27.5 Rushing Yards (-114)
Speaking of Maye, the second-year quarterback is an exceptional athlete.
Maye had to run for his life in 2024 due to his terrible offensive line. Maye ended the season with 421 yards on the ground and two touchdowns.
The former first-round pick is not considered a dual-threat quarterback. However, Maye did rush for at least 27 yards in six of his last 10 games.
With the offensive line still a work in progress, I like Maye to hit his rushing total.
