The New England Patriots fell to 0-1 in Week 1.
The Mike Vrabel era in New England is off to a soggy start, both weather-wise and with the on-field performance.
Here are the main talking points from Sunday’s 20-13 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders.
Splash plays on defense
The Patriots defense got off to a slow start. They conceded on the opening drive without ever forcing the Raiders to a third down.
However, on the ensuing drive, a Jaylin Hawkins interception off of a Carlton Davis tip seemed to ignite that side of the ball.
This was largely on the back of a very boom-or-bust defensive scheme from new Defensive Coordinator Terrell Williams.
The Patriots blitzed on 40% of their defensive snaps, which led to pressure on 37.5% of all Raiders dropbacks.
However, when the blitz did not make its way home, the Patriots’ man coverage did not hold up without All-Pro Christian Gonzalez.
This led to the Patriots allowing 11 plays of over 19 yards, which is a number that must reduce for the Pats to have defensive success in the future.
Drake ‘Spraye’
I am a big Drake Maye fan. I think that the glimpses of his raw talent that we saw in an incredibly talent-poor and poorly coached team last year are incredibly exciting. However, I am very concerned with what I have seen becoming a common trend in the preseason and on Sunday.
Josh McDaniels’ offense requires consistency and precision in both timing and accuracy. This seems to be something Maye is struggling with.
From a physical perspective, on Sunday, I spotted six separate instances where Maye made the correct read and simply missed an easy throw. The kinds of throws that NFL quarterbacks have to be able to make.
Additionally, we know the special plays that Maye can make with his athleticism, but he also seems to be too quick to leave the pocket.
From a mental perspective, I thought he generally performed well, but there were a number of instances where he fled a clean pocket and put himself under pressure.
In a season in which we are anxious about the amount of pressure his offensive line may have him under, Maye cannot add to that pressure himself.
