#new-england-patriots

#new-england-patriots

As a group, the running backs had 13 carries for 45 yards. The lead back, Rhamondre Stevenson, was abysmal, recording just 15 yards from seven carries for an average of 2.1 a pop. TreVeyon Henderson's totals were better: five carries notched him 27 yards, but when omitting his 14-yard carry, he sits at just 3.3 yards per run. He showed a burst, yes, but consistently not all that effective.

Much was expected from the new Patriots right away. The awful 2024 team, which won a measly four games, only lost six by one score. That gave great hopes for a Renaissance under Mike Vrabel as both coach and team builder in 2025. In the first game, it didn't happen. The 2025 Patriots smacked of the 2024 version against the Raiders, and that's not a compliment. A couple of things did go right, however, though the team is now 0-1.

With the Dolphins in need of reinforcements on the offensive line, Miami is signing former Patriots offensive lineman Cole Strange off the Cleveland Browns' practice squad, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero.

At first, it looked like they were evenly matched, but that quickly fell apart the longer the game went on. Despite seeming to get into the groove after a rough start, the Patriots' downfall after halftime was noticeable and frustrating. Nothing was working in any phase of the game, which made it easy for the Raiders to do whatever they pleased to steal a win in Foxboro.

Game-changing wide receivers have evaded being signed by the Patriots for as long as most can remember, and it was clear that pattern needed to end going into the 2025 season. Mike Vrabel was very aware of that, and that explains why they chose to sign Stefon Diggs in free agency. His addition to the offensive roster had many fans excited, as Drake Maye would finally have the caliber of weapon that could immediately elevate their performance on day one.

Fortunately, they had some competition in the joint practices with the Commanders and the Vikings before their exhibition games. First-round pick Will Campbell has started at left tackle from the beginning. His pass-blocking, the subject of all kinds of questions, was decent, but he allowed a fourth-quarter strip-sack. His run blocking, predicted to be terrific, wasn't. He also had two procedure penalties.

He had been vocal throughout last season about the lack of proper coaching from Jerod Mayo's inexperienced staff, which might have led to his underwhelming year and firmly put him in the hot seat this offseason. However, he wasn't able to impress Vrabel and Co. in the weeks leading to the season opener on Sunday and was quickly moved down the depth chart because of it.

The Patriots are significantly trending in the right direction, moving on from the Bill Belichick era and starting anew. The best decision they made this offseason was firing Jerod Mayo and hiring Mike Vrabel (and they made some good decisions)... and Drake Maye was impressive in his rookie season given what he had to work with. New England also has an easy schedule and the AFC East is not great this year. The Patriots are trending upward.