Patriots Preview: Trap Game vs Raiders
by Zak Drapeau
Sportz Nation - 10/9/2026
Pats v Bills Recap
Last week I was very critical of the Patriots and more specifically Drake Maye and they really showed everyone that they are still capable of living up to their Super Bowl run last season.
Maye was much better even if he still wasn't elite but the Patriots' defense definitely played their best game. Coming into the game, the Bills had the 4th most rushing yards per game in the league behind Josh Allen and James Cook and the Patriots held them to just 91 on the day. A combined effort from everyone in that Front-7, but Spillane and Elliss were the real studs in the middle.
Once the Patriots established a wall in the running game, their next chess move was to bring the pressure. Even though Josh Allen was only sacked once in the game for 4 yards, the Pats' defense had 4 QB hits and made Allen uncomfortable the whole game.
On offense, the Patriots sustained long and bruising drives for most of their scores with only 3 plays on the day coming over 20 yards. Drake Maye was the catalyst that brought it all together because his scrambling was left unaccounted for for most of the game. He did have 2 turnovers but both came in the 2nd quarter and would only lead to 3 points.
Raiders in 2026
Let's start with the obvious, this Raiders team is WAY better than what we thought they were before the season. Most of that comes down to the turnovers; they have the most takeaways in the league and Kirk Cousins has done a great job in taking care oif the football especially over the last 3 weeks.
Speaking of Cousins, the once written off, seasoned veteran is averaging 250-3-1 on the season and doing so mostly with 3rd string receivers and safety nets. Brock Bowers has definitely taken charge as the #1 option in Vegas but guys like Tre Tucker, Cody White and Michael Mayer have really produced this season.
In his first year as Head Coach, Klint Kubiak has taken the offense he ran in Seattle, New Orleans and San Francisco and already hit his strides this year in Vegas. With the 9th passing offense and 7th scoring offense, the Raiders have been rolling and actually pose a good matchup for this Patriots defense.
Defensively, the Raiders are more bend don't break. They rank 27th against the run, 8th against the pass but 1st in takeaways. Seeing as the Pats have established themselves as a pass first team with a turnover-prone Quarterback, I can see multiple interceptions in this one.
Pats-Raiders Prediction
Right now on Friday afternoon, the Patriots are 3.5-point favorites and the games over/under is set at 45. Oddsmakers should be predicting a 24-21 win for New England.
As I stated in the Raiders section, I do think Vegas will get 2 or more takeaways in this one. I also think the Patriots' offense will be able to go up and down the field for the most part and either end their drives in points or turnovers. Drake Maye will probably have 270+ pass yards, 30+ rush yards, 2 TDs on the day and 2 or more turnovers.
For the Raiders, I don't think Ashton Jeanty will get ANYTHING going on the ground against this team but should be a reliable weapon in the passing game. Jeanty and Bowers will likely both get 5+ catches even though Bowers will be much more efficient down the field especially with Gonzalez still banged up.
This game should be VERY close with both teams likely ro be able to score early and often. I DEFINITELY will be taking the OVER/45 in this one.
As for the game, I think that the Patriots found their groove last week but were at an emotional high. I understand the travel for the Raiders is brutal and the Pats are probably the better roster, but give me RAIDERS +3.5 in this one thanks to Kirk Cousins being able to protect the ball much better than Maye will.
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Make sure to stay tuned as we continue coverage of the 2026 Patriots.
-Z.D.
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