The Las Vegas Raiders head into Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season with a ton of hope and excitement. The Pete Carroll era is officially here, and this feels like their best chance in years to finally turn things around and become a playoff contender again.
But in order for that to happen, they will need to get off to a fast start, and that means upsetting the new-look New England Patriots in Foxboro. Las Vegas is a 2.5-point underdog on the road, and that is somewhat of a surprise given how bad the Patriots were last season.
But like the Raiders, the Patriots are hoping that a new coaching staff can get them back to the postseason. If the Raiders want to pull off the upset, there is one specific matchup that they will need to win decisively for that to happen.
This matchup is none other than Brock Bowers against the Patriots' linebackers.
Brock Bowers needs to shine for Raiders to pull off upset
Mike Vrabel and the Patriots aren’t foolish enough to leave their linebackers one-on-one in coverage against Bowers, who might be the league’s best pass-catching tight end. Instead, expect a bunch of zone coverage against the All-Pro tight end, especially in the middle of the field.
But even against zone coverage, this is a matchup that greatly favors the Raiders. Fans should lump Michael Mayer into this conversation, as it looks pretty likely that Chip Kelly will lean on both tight ends to win in the passing game. The expectation is that Mayer will be a starter as well, and he should have a much bigger role in the offense in Year 3.
The Patriots have some quality linebackers, including Robert Spillane, who signed with New England this offseason. But none of them have the athleticism or coverage prowess to match up with Mayer, let alone Bowers.
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New England’s strength is its secondary, especially when Christian Gonzalez is healthy. Relying on Jakobi Meyers and a bunch of young receivers to consistently win against this secondary would be foolish, even with Gonzalez out and Jabrill Peppers recently released.
Instead, expect Kelly and the Raiders to attack the middle of the field with Bowers and Mayer, who should be able to create explosive plays after the catch. The Patriots should have one of the NFL’s best defenses this year, and it’s going to be tough sledding for Geno Smith and the offense.
Obviously, they would love to establish the run and lean on Ashton Jeanty, but that is easier said than done in his first NFL game. Instead, look for Kelly to lean on their best player and feed Bowers a bunch of targets in this game.
While the sample size is small, it's worth noting that Bowers averaged over 76 yards from scrimmage in the four wins with the Raiders last season. Those are the type of numbers Bowers will need to replicate weekly if Las Vegas wants to rack up some early-season wins.
In this game specifically, look for the Raiders to feature Bowers heavily to secure the first "W" of the season.