Geno Smith arrives, Raiders handle Patriots 20-13 in a controlled Week 1 win
New city, new jersey, same poise. In his first start for Las Vegas, Geno Smith turned a hyped debut into a steady Week 1 victory, throwing for 362 yards and a touchdown as the Raiders beat the New England Patriots 20-13 on September 7 at Allegiant Stadium. It wasn’t flashy. It was efficient, balanced, and exactly the tone-setter head coach Antonio Pierce wanted to start the season.
Smith’s timing showed right away. After a crisp 23-yard strike to tight end Brock Bowers jump-started the opening series, he found Tre Tucker down the left side for a 26-yard touchdown to cap a six-play, 66-yard drive that took just 2:43. The ball came out on time, the tempo was intentional, and the Raiders looked comfortable attacking space rather than forcing hero throws.
New England countered with patience. A tipped pass intended for Bowers turned into an interception when Carlton Davis III got a hand on it and Jaylinn Hawkins hauled it in, flipping field position and momentum. Rookie quarterback Drake Maye took advantage, marching the Patriots 82 yards in 12 plays and finishing with a composed two-yard touchdown to DeMario Douglas. For a first-time NFL starter on the road, Maye didn’t blink.
The Patriots leaned on a field-position game through the second quarter and nudged ahead with a 35-yard kick from Andy Borregales, finishing a nine-play, 56-yard drive. That sequence told you a lot about New England’s plan: stay on schedule, take points when offered, and force Las Vegas to win methodically. By the break, the Raiders faced a narrow deficit but not a crisis.
Halftime brought adjustments. Las Vegas came out with more motion and downhill runs, and it clicked quickly. A five-play, 71-yard burst ended with rookie running back Ashton Jeanty plowing in from three yards out, a finish built on clean blocking and Jeanty’s burst through the crease. A 51-yard field goal by Daniel Carlson later in the quarter stretched the margin to 17-10, and the Raiders finally had New England chasing.
The drive that defined the fourth quarter wasn’t a touchdown at all. It was a 12-play, 66-yard trudge that stalled in the red area but swallowed 6:47 of clock before Carlson drilled a 40-yarder. That was the veteran quarterback’s imprint—checkdowns when nothing was there, pocket movement to extend reads, and no panic throws. Up 20-10 with under seven minutes left, Las Vegas turned the game into a sprint the Patriots didn’t have time to win.
New England kept fighting. Borregales hit from 44 yards with 19 seconds left to cut the deficit to seven, but it functioned more as a last gasp than a leap back into contention. The Raiders finished the job without drama.
Inside the game: rhythm throws, a fast defense, and a few hard knocks
Smith’s command stood out more than any single throw. He spread the ball and let speed do the work, ripping chunk gains to Jakobi Meyers and Jack Bech that repeatedly stressed New England’s secondary. Those explosives opened up the underneath menu—option routes, shallow crossers, and quick outs that helped the Raiders live in favorable down-and-distance all night.
Bowers was part of that early plan, flashing as a seam and in-breaker target before exiting in the fourth quarter with a knee issue. The Raiders didn’t crumble without him; they simply tilted to their perimeter options and rode the run game in key spots. Jeanty’s touchdown was the headline, but the real win was balance—Las Vegas didn’t let the Patriots sit on tendencies.
Maye gave New England the composure it needed to keep this close. His touchdown to Douglas came on a red-zone progression where he didn’t overextend the play or force a throw late. He used his legs to buy time a handful of times and took what the defense offered on early downs. The missing piece was the explosive pass in the second half. As the Raiders tightened their windows and disguised post-snap looks, Maye’s completions grew shorter and the field got smaller.
Then there was Maxx Crosby. The edge star notched a first-quarter sack and added heat throughout, the kind of presence that shapes protections even when it doesn’t show up in a box score. That sack also pushed him into rare territory—he’s now one of just five players with 60 or more sacks since 2019, joining T.J. Watt, Myles Garrett, Trey Hendrickson, and Nick Bosa. When Crosby sets the edge and the linebackers rally, the Raiders become a fast, sure-tackling unit that forces offenses to string together perfect drives. Few can.
Key moments that swung this game:
- Opening statement: Smith to Tucker for a 26-yard score set the tone and let the Raiders play from in front for most of the night.
- Tip-drill turnabout: Davis III’s tip and Hawkins’ interception ignited New England’s equalizer, proving the Patriots could hang if they won the turnover battle. They didn’t—Las Vegas steadied after that miscue.
- Third-quarter surge: Jeanty’s 3-yard TD and Carlson’s 51-yarder turned a 10-7 deficit into a 17-10 lead, flipping the script on possession and pressure.
- Clock control: The 12-play, 66-yard fourth-quarter march that ended in a field goal mattered more than any highlight—it drained time and squeezed New England’s playbook.
Protection told its own story. The Raiders’ offensive line handled stunts better after halftime and gave Smith the clean platforms he needed on intermediate routes. When the Patriots did get push, Smith’s footwork kept him on time—drifting, resetting, and finding layups rather than forcing hero shots into tight brackets. That’s veteran quarterbacking.
On the perimeter, the Patriots struggled with leverage against Meyers and Bech. A couple of deep shots loosened the safeties, and even the threats that fell incomplete changed how New England played the middle of the field. That’s how the Raiders lived in the soft spots—quick hitters after motion, slants off play action, and spacing concepts that punished off coverage.
Health notes shaped the final stretch. Bowers left in the fourth quarter with a knee injury after an active start; the team will want clarity on his status as the week unfolds. Linebacker Elandon Roberts exited with a left elbow injury after a collision late in the first quarter and did not return, testing the Raiders’ depth in the middle. For New England, receiver Kayshon Boutte took a hard hit after a 24-yard catch and was helped off late in the first quarter, then returned in the second—an encouraging sign on a night where the Patriots needed every target.
Special teams mattered quietly. Carlson’s 51- and 40-yard makes were confidence swings that also dictated field position on the next series. Borregales answered, but New England’s kicks came as responses, not haymakers. That difference adds up over four quarters.
Stylistically, Las Vegas looked like a team with an identity. Pierce wants a physical front and discipline in coverage, and he got both—Crosby’s edge pressure complemented by rally tackling underneath. Offensively, it was efficiency over ego. The Raiders didn’t chase deep shots for the sake of it; they called them when leverage and formation said “now.”
For the Patriots, there’s plenty to build on. Maye operated the huddle, got to the line cleanly, and didn’t let the moment speed him up. The next step is generating more intermediate explosives against single-high looks and finishing red-zone trips with six instead of three. If they can protect Maye a tick longer and find a consistent second option behind Douglas, the offense will open up.
The bigger picture? The Raiders landed a composed, low-error win with a quarterback who looked immediately in sync with his receivers. Smith’s debut wasn’t just about yards; it was about control—of pace, of matchups, of the moment. That plays in September, and it travels in December.
What’s next sets the stakes. Las Vegas hosts the Los Angeles Chargers on September 15, a divisional barometer that will test the Raiders’ pass protection and secondary communication against a familiar rival. Health updates on Bowers and Roberts will shape the plan. New England heads to Miami next Sunday, an early road check where heat, speed, and situational football usually decide things. If the Patriots turn a couple of those field goals into touchdowns, they’ll be right there at the end.
