Las Vegas Raiders @ New England Patriots
Final Score: Patriots 45, Raiders 17
Writer: Jay Felicio (@GmenJay on twitter/x/bluesky, @gmenj on reddit)
Three Up
- Drake Maye – Possibly the best game of his career
- DeMario Douglas – Caught four passes, two for tuddys.
- Fernando Mendoza – Got his first regular season action.
Three Down
- Ashton Jeanty – 10 carries and less than three yards per.
- Romeo Doubs – His one week run as the “WR1” was fun.
- Tre Tucker – Caught four passes for 41 yards.
Las Vegas Raiders
Quarterback
Kirk Cousins: 19/28, 243 Yards, 1 TD, 0 INT | 0 Carries, 0 Yards, Fumble
Kirk Cousins answered the Patriots’ opening touchdown with a scoring drive of his own, capped by a 13-yard strike to Brock Bowers with 8:19 left in the first. The drive was extended by a Kevin Byard pass interference on a throw intended for Michael Mayer. He didn’t throw an interception, but after the first seven minutes or so that this looked like a game, it got ugly. Cousins got sacked three times and lost a fumble.
Notes
- Two-thirds of his production went to Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty
Fernando Mendoza: 6/8, 48 Yards, 0 TD, 0 INT | 1 Carry, 3 Yards
The first overall pick of this year’s draft got some game action in garbage time and looked solid. He’ll end up starting games this season.
Running Back
Ashton Jeanty: 10 Carries, 27 Yards | 6 Targets, 3 Receptions, 50 Yards
Ashton Jeanty wasn’t able to get much going on the ground but made up for it with pass game work. Jeanty rushed for under 30 yards on 10 carries, but with the Raiders trailing most of the game, the game script was against him from the jump. Took a catch-and-run for 31 yards to the New England 9 in the fourth to show he’s still got some pass-catching chops to salvage an inefficient day on the ground.
Dylan Laube: 4 Carries, 9 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 16 Yards
A fourth-quarter touchdown in a blowout loss is the definition of garbage time production.
Mike Washington Jr.: 1 Carry, 5 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 5 Yards
10 total yards, nothing to see.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Brock Bowers: 10 Targets, 8 Receptions, 110 Yards, TD, Fumble (LOST)
The only Raider to show up, Brock Bowers was the monster among men that he tends to be when he’s on the field and healthy. Bowers came down with eight of his 11 targets for 110 yards and a score, but lost a costly fumble in the third in New England territory.
Notes
- Caught a 15-yard pass on fourth and three in the third….
Missed Opportunities
- … that was punched out by Kendall Vildor, killing the drive with the game still within reach.
Cody White: 4 Targets, 2 Receptions, 44 Yards
Tre Tucker: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 41 Yards | 2 Carries, -6 Yards
Cody White was targeted one fewer time than Tre Tucker and caught two fewer passes, but outproduced him by a couple of yards. White has overtaken Tucker as the team’s WR1, but it’s a moot point while Bowers is in town.
Ian Thomas: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 9 Yards
Deven Thompkins: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 8 Yards
Malik Benson: 4 Targets, 1 Reception, 6 Yards
Michael Mayer: 1 Target, 1 Reception, 2 Yards
Four players, seven targets, 25 yards. This pass game is Brock Bowers with a splash of Ashton Jeanty. That’s it.
New England Patriots
Quarterback
Drake Maye: 26/34, 374 Yards, 4 TD, 0 INT | 7 Carries, 25 Yards, TD
Drake Maye opened the game with a bomb to a wide-open DeMario Douglas for 35 and the score, after hitting Romeo Doubs with a 16-yard strike a few plays earlier. The drive reached midfield on an Eric Stokes pass interference. Maye had plenty of time in the pocket throughout, including on a 17-yard completion to Efton Chism III. Looked the best he has since the regular season last year. If you started him, you won. Probably.
Running Back
Rhamondre Stevenson: 13 Carries, 64 Yards, TD | 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 21 Yards
Snip snap, snip snap. Rhamondre Stevenson has the backfield back. Stevenson led the team in carries and scored a five-yard rushing touchdown in the first. Not a spike game, but 80+ yards and a score is a fine fantasy line. With TreVeyon Henderson going down with an ankle injury, Stevenson could be in line for a hefty workload.
Corey Kiner: 6 Carries, 52 Yards, Fumble (LOST) | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 7 Yards
Corey Kiner got extra work with TreVeyon Henderson exiting early with an injury and made the most of it. Kiner averaged 8.7 yards per carry on six attempts, but lost a fumble in the second quarter.
TreVeyon Henderson: 4 Carries, 22 Yards | 1 Target, 1 Reception, 16 Yards
TreVeyon Henderson was productive before going down with an ankle injury early in the second quarter and not returning. Hendo had a nice 11-yard run in the first and padded his stats by 12 yards on a lateral from Efton Chism. The backfield work was split between Stevenson and Kiner for the rest of the game.
Wide Receiver/Tight End
Kyle Williams: 3 Targets, 3 Receptions, 91 Yards, TD
Kyle Williams opened the third quarter with a 34-yard score on 2nd and 19 and added a 49-yard catch later in the second quarter. Don’t expect volume, but Williams can provide spike week splash production.
DeMario Douglas: 5 Targets, 4 Receptions, 65 Yards, 2 TD
Got behind the defense wide open for a 35-yard touchdown bomb on the Patriots’ opening drive for the first of his two touchdown grabs. Not a crazy stat line or target share, but enough to be back in FLEX consideration in the right matchups.
Efton Chism III: 6 Targets, 5 Receptions, 57 Yards | 1 Carry, 2 Yards
The undrafted free agent rookie led the Pats in targets in his first start, including a nice 17-yard grab on his first target of the game on a play where the line gave Maye plenty of time to throw.
Eli Raridon: 5 Targets, 5 Receptions, 57 Yards
Hunter Henry: 4 Targets, 3 Receptions, 44 Yards, TD
Having both Eli Raridon and Hunter Henry as viable options as pass-catching tight ends is great for Maye, not for fantasy managers. Henry made an impressive 26-yard grab two plays before his 11-yard score and helped convert a fourth down in the first. Neither are fantasy viable options.
Romeo Doubs: 3 Targets, 1 Reception, 16 Yards
Romeo Doubs was an afterthought for Drake Maye for most of the day, only catching one of his three targets. But the box score doesn’t tell the whole story, as Doubs also drew two Eric Stokes pass interference penalties on deep balls for 24 and 27 yards. Unfortunately, you don’t get fantasy points for those.