It only took one play for the Patriots to regret their offseason kicker decision

"Throughout training camp, the Patriots were fortunate to have a legitimate competition between their two kickers, one of whom, Andres Borregales, they used a sixth-round draft selection on earlier this year. The other, Parker Romo, was a member of the 2024 squad and brought a tough battle to the widely considered best kicking prospect of the 2025 class. That meant it took all the way until roster cutdowns for Mike Vrabel and Co. to ultimately decide who would fill the role this year."

"After a rough start to the game, Drake Maye began to look more comfortable heading into the second quarter. He managed to lead the team to a touchdown and looked well on his way to getting it done again, only for the Raiders' defense to force a field goal. It was a 40-yard attempt that should be an easy score for Borregales, but he missed the points by kicking it too far right."

"The meant the Raiders got to take over on downs and fortunately for the Patriots, they ended up going three-and-out to give them the ball back fairly quickly. It could have been an absolute disaster if the miss led to the Patriots falling behind not long before halftime, so Borregales is lucky that didn't happen. However, this isn't a great start to his already shaky tenure, which might lead to the team looking at kickers again before Week 2."

Training camp featured a legitimate competition between Patriots kickers Andres Borregales and Parker Romo, with New England selecting Borregales in the sixth round and ultimately cutting Romo after roster cutdowns. Borregales entered the regular season as the rostered kicker. In the season opener he missed a 40-yard field goal wide right, surrendering possession on downs and avoiding immediate damage only because the Raiders went three-and-out. The miss underscores concerning inconsistency for Borregales early in his tenure. The team’s special teams unit had looked strong through the summer, but persistent kicking inconsistency could force the Patriots to pursue alternatives before Week 2.

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