Raiders vs Patriots Recap | Geno’s Big Debut, Standout Performances & What’s Next

RAIDERS VS. PATRIOTS POSTGAME SHOW

REACTION & ANALYSIS FROM NEW ENGLAND

The Silver & Black kicked off the season with a comeback win in Foxborough, and I was on the field at Gillette Stadium to break it all down in our latest podcast. From Geno Smith’s record-setting debut to how Chip Kelly’s new offense featured Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers, to the defensive stands that sealed the game, we cover every angle of the opener. I also dug into the in-game adjustments Pete Carroll and his staff made that swung the momentum in the second half. Hit play above for my full postgame reaction and analysis from New England.

GAME RECAP:

The Las Vegas Raiders kicked off the season with a gritty 20–13 road win over the New England Patriots in Foxborough. After an up-and-down first half, Geno Smith tore the Pats apart in the second half of his Raiders debut, throwing for 362 yards—a record for the most yards by a Raiders QB in their debut with the franchise —with a touchdown and one interception.

Defensively, the Raiders shut it down in the second half. A huge interception by Isaiah Pola-Mao, along with stout pass-rush from the Raiders’ front seven, which recorded eight pressures and two sacks in the second half alone, helped seal the deal.

ANALYSIS:

Geno was on point. We touched on his stats above, and that’s great, but three things stood out to me from his game: his accuracy, the way he spread it around, and the deep passing. He completed 70.6% of his passes against the Patriots on Sunday, that’s his 23rd game completing over 70% of his passes since 2022, which are the most such games in the NFL in that timespan. He also completed passes to seven different players, six of whom had two or more receptions. Lastly, the deep passing, Geno finished with nine completions of 20+ yards in the game, which is tied for the most such completions by a Raiders QB since at least 1991. We get it, it was against a Patriots team missing their best defensive back, with so many new pieces across the board, but that doesn’t change the fact that the Raiders finally have a guy who can be a game-changer for them at QB. It’s only one game, and they only put up 20 points, but I think it’s a good foundation for what could be a high-powered offense once they get the running game going.

On defense, we dove into the pass rush; they were lights out, but I was really impressed with Devin White. After Elandon Roberts left the game with that dislocated elbow, he filled in at Mike linebacker for a large part of the game and was unreal against the run. He finished with a team-high 11 tackles with one tackle for a loss. If Elandon does indeed miss some time, I’d like to see Devin step into that role full-time after what he showed out there on Sunday.

One last guy to keep an eye on, Kyu Blu Kelly. He rose the depth chart throughout training camp and earned the starting spot at corner opposite Eric Stokes, and he balled out in the opener. Yeah, he got called for pass interference on that fourth-down throw to Mack Hollins, but anyone with eyes knows that was not PI. He had a great day at the office and showed he’s not afraid to throw his body in there and make a tackle. He finished second on the team with nine tackles. Raiders fans know it’s been a minute since there’s been a willing tackler on the outside, and that’s big for this defense. The staff really likes rookie Darien Porter, but if Kyu keeps playing like that, it will be tough to supplant him.

MISS ANYTHING?

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WHAT’S NEXT?

We’ll catch up with Pete Carroll today at 11 a.m. PST after he gets his second look at this game. I’m curious to see what he has to say about his offensive line, they had some issues against the Patriots’ twists and stunts at times. I also want to see how he evaluates his corners after looking at the tape, I thought they played well.

Then on Tuesday, we’re dropping the next episode of the Silver & Black Sports Network Podcast at 11 a.m. so make sure you subscribe to us so you don’t miss it when it goes live.

Catch ya next time,