I wonder who Tom Brady will be cheering for on Sunday from his Fox Sports broadcasting booth?
Jokes aside, the Las Vegas Raiders take on the New England Patriots in Week 5 of the 2026 NFL season in a game that could matter down the line in the AFC Playoff Picture. Yes, I just said "Raiders" and "playoffs" in the same sentence, and I wholeheartedly meant it.
Klint Kubiak's team is playing well to begin the year, and Mike Vrabel's squad seems to have found its groove in Week 4 against the then-undefeated Buffalo Bills. This should be a closely contested matchup on Sunday in Foxborough, Massachusetts, between two postseason hopefuls.
But before we get to the future or the present, let's talk about the past. As we've done every week, we'll review the history of this upcoming matchup, including the all-time series split, a signature moment between the two clubs, and what happened the last time the two franchises faced off.
Patriots lead Raiders 20-18-1 in all-time series
The Oakland Raiders and Boston Patriots were two of the charter members of the AFL, so this will be another chapter in an age-old rivalry. The 40th chapter, to be precise, the first of which was written back on October 16, 1960, days before Cassius Clay made his professional boxing debut.
Oakland emerged victorious in that one before losing seven out of the next eight matchups against Boston. A tie in 1964 kickstarted a Raiders revival in this faceoff, as the Silver and Black went on to win six of the next seven contests
Between 1971 and 2002 (ignoring a certain game for now), this rivalry went back and forth across 13 games, with Los Angeles/Oakland winning seven and New England winning six. But as we know, the turn of the century marked a distinct change for both franchises.
Once Brady and the Patriots' dynasty got kickstarted (by a certain game), New England won six straight games against Oakland and Las Vegas from 2005 to 2020. Post-COVID, though, the Raiders have owned this matchup, winning three straight games. They'll ride that streak into Sunday.
Signature moment: The dreaded "Tuck Rule Game"
Ah, yes, the certain game.
In the AFC Divisional Round of the 2001 NFL season, the Raiders traveled to a snowy Foxboro Stadium for a bout against the Patriots. And they had Brady's team dead to rights, as Charles Woodson forced a fumble, recovered by Greg Biekert, to seal the win. Oakland was moving on.
Except the powers that be stepped in and effectively made up a rule that was changed after the fact and gave New England the ball back. All of a sudden, the Patriots tied it up with a field goal, and they got the ball first in overtime. Both teams didn't get a chance back then.
A second Adam Vinatieri kick coasted through the uprights, giving New England the 16-13 win. The Raiders never got the ball back, and everything crumbled after that. Jon Gruden was traded, and after a successful 2002 season in which they went to the Super Bowl, the franchise has been cursed.
The Raiders haven't won a playoff game in over 20 years, and the Patriots went on to win the Super Bowl that same year. It was Oakland's to win, and it was taken from them. Of course, New England built a dynasty from that moment. Two of them, actually. And it will never, ever be fair or make sense.
Last time around: Pete Carroll's Raiders start out like gangbusters against Mike Vrabel's Patriots in a stormy W1 matchup
Las Vegas traveled up to Gillette Stadium in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season for a matchup between two teams with new coaches coming off a brutal 2024 campaign. This game was supposed to give fans an early indication of which coaching staff had it figured out.
And it was supposed to give Josh McDaniels his revenge on the Raiders.
But the Silver and Black emerged victorious on the back of a great performance from Geno Smith in the rain, as he threw for 362 yards and a touchdown, and both Brock Bowers and Jakobi Meyers dominated through the air. For New England, Drake Maye played fairly well, too.
Isaiah Pola-Mao and Jaylinn Hawkins, of all people, each had an interception, and both quarterbacks were sacked four times. Maxx Crosby, Malcolm Koonce, Tyree Wilson and Jonah Laulu all got home for the Raiders, and Harold Landry III pitched in 2.5 for the Patriots.
Fans may remember the marquee moment from this game: Dont'e Thornton Jr's sliding grab to help Las Vegas convert on third-and-20 with a 10-point lead and only a few minutes remaining in the game. Although that didn't officially clinch it, it put the game on ice.
Let's hope for a similar result... and let's hope that the Raiders don't need a Jakobi Meyers-Chandler Jones situation to pull this one off.
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