The Las Vegas Raiders were dismantled by the defending AFC champion New England Patriots, falling 45-17 at Gillette Stadium. Coach Klint Kubiak conceded the team wasn’t ready to play, saying, “It’s on me to get us ready to go, and we weren’t ready to go.” The Raiders trailed 21-7 at halftime and were outgained 536-306 in total yards.
New England quarterback Drake Maye completed 26 of 34 passes for 374 yards and four touchdowns, adding a rushing score. Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins was 19-of-28 for 243 yards and a touchdown to tight end Brock Bowers, who had eight receptions for 110 yards. Rookie Fernando Mendoza entered late, completing 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards. Running back Ashton Jeanty, playing with a foot injury, had 10 carries for 27 yards as Las Vegas averaged just 2.1 yards per rush.
Penalties hurt the Raiders, who committed eight for 101 yards after ranking among the league’s best in penalty avoidance early in the season. Cornerback Eric Stokes drew two pass interference calls, and defensive end Maxx Crosby was flagged for unnecessary roughness on an extra point. Center Tyler Linderbaum was offsides on a key third-down play. Crosby acknowledged the issue, saying, “More penalties than usual. It just wasn’t good enough,” and added the team must play cleaner and learn from the mistakes.
Sources: Las Vegas Review-Journal
Original reporting: Las Vegas Review-Journal →
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