Fans recall the Las Vegas Raiders' momentous 2025 NFL season opener against the New England Patriots. Pete Carroll's team traveled to the East Coast and emerged victorious in a rainy Week 1 game over Mike Vrabel's squad. It seemed like one new coach had it figured out, and the other didn't.
Of course, history looks back on the result of that game as even more perplexing, considering that the Raiders went on to lose 14 of their next 15 matchups, and the Patriots eventually rallied to earn the No. 2 seed in the AFC, win the conference and earn a spot in Super Bowl LX.
It seems like the 2026 Patriots are embarking on a similar path. While Las Vegas is 3-1 and feeling good even after a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs, they can't underestimate this 2-2 New England team that has looked inconsistent and, at times, downright bad at the start of the year.
They are practically retracing the steps they took last year.
Raiders should know Patriots are better than their 2-2 record shows
New England lost on opening night against the Sam Darnold-less Seattle Seahawks in front of a national audience, and that game has done quite a bit of damage to their reputation. Drake Maye looked like a shell of himself, and he did so through the team's first three contests.
A big home win against the Pittsburgh Steelers the following week didn't mean anything, as folks were more fixated on the Patriots' lopsided loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 3. The 35-6 defeat only further pushed the notion that this New England team was a fraud, and last year was an anomaly.
But last week, they found their stride while taking on a previously unbeaten Buffalo Bills team on the road and overcoming a series of unfortunate events to win 29-26. The run game clicked, and Maye finally looked like the version of himself that was the runner-up for the 2025 NFL MVP award.
And they did it without star defenders Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore.
Whether they return or not in Week 5, this Patriots team proved last week that they can still battle with the best in the league. Not to mention, their personnel is still incredible, even if they have been battered by key injuries to begin the year.
Not to mention, they got off to a similar start last year before figuring it out. It's possible we are seeing the same pattern unfold in 2026.
New England got off to a similarly slow start before figuring it out in 2025
Believe it or not, losing to the Raiders was not New England's only stumble to begin the 2025 campaign. After rebounding with a win in Week 2 against the Miami Dolphins, they lost to the Pittsburgh Steelers and looked dead in the water at 1-2.
But they came out in Week 4 and proved that they were serious by stomping on the eventual NFC South champion Carolina Panthers 42-13. Then, they beat the Bills to start a winning streak and did not lose again until after their Week 14 bye.
What have the 2026 Patriots done?
Well, they lost in a low-scoring Week 1 bout before rebounding for a win, and then they lost their third game to drop to 1-2. And then they bounced back in Week 4 for a triumphant win. Las Vegas finds itself in the eye of the storm, so to speak.
The Raiders need to be ready for a talented, well-coached and hungry Patriots team on Sunday, as they will be no easy foe. And if history repeats itself, then the Silver and Black could be in harm's way as New England looks to right the ship around the quarter-way mark in the season.
Add us as a preferred source on Google