Drake Maye throws four touchdowns as Patriots overwhelm Raiders 45-17

Maye's quick strikes built the cushion

New England needed only its first possession to show how efficient the passing game would be. Maye found DeMario Douglas for a 35-yard touchdown at 11:23 of the first quarter, and even when Las Vegas answered with Kirk Cousins' 13-yard scoring pass to Brock Bowers at 8:19, the Patriots did not lose control of the tempo of the scoreboard.

The next separation came from balance rather than fireworks. Rhamondre Stevenson punched in a five-yard rushing touchdown with 1:30 left in the opening quarter, giving New England a 14-7 lead, and Maye closed the first half with another clean red-zone finish when he hit Hunter Henry from 11 yards out with 24 seconds remaining in the second. That made it 21-7 and left the Raiders chasing a game that was already tilting toward the home side.

Maye's stat line explained why the margin felt sturdy even before the break. He completed 26 of 34 passes for 374 yards with four touchdowns and no interceptions, spreading the ball to nine receivers. Douglas caught two scores, Henry added one, and the supporting production mattered too: Efton Chism III and Eli Raridon each caught five passes for 57 yards, giving the Patriots reliable work between the bigger gains.

The third quarter ended the debate

If Las Vegas needed a fast start after halftime, it got the opposite. Maye struck again at 12:58 of the third quarter, this time finding Kyle Williams for a 34-yard touchdown that stretched the lead to 28-7. Matt Gay answered with a 46-yard field goal at 8:30, but that was as close as the Raiders would come to changing the shape of the afternoon.

New England answered that field goal with another touchdown drive, capped by Maye's three-yard run at 3:10 of the third. Andy Borregales then added a 28-yard field goal early in the fourth for a 38-10 lead. Las Vegas did manage one more touchdown, Dylan Laube's two-yard run with 10:49 remaining, yet Douglas ended any thought of late drama when he hauled in an eight-yard touchdown pass from Maye at 6:06.

The breadth of the Patriots' production stood out almost as much as the total. Williams turned only three catches into 91 yards and a touchdown. Douglas finished with four receptions for 65 yards and two scores. Stevenson added 64 rushing yards on 13 carries, and New England finished with 137 yards on the ground to complement the passing game. By the end, the Patriots had scored on seven of their 10 drives and converted four of five red-zone chances into touchdowns.

Las Vegas had numbers through the air, but not enough answers

Cousins was not reckless. He completed 19 of 28 passes for 243 yards and a touchdown without an interception, and Bowers gave the Raiders a legitimate focal point with eight catches for 110 yards and their only passing score. Ashton Jeanty contributed 50 receiving yards, while Cody White added 44 on two catches. Fernando Mendoza also completed all four of his passes for 35 yards.

The problem for Las Vegas was that almost everything else leaned the other way. The Raiders finished with only 35 rushing yards on 17 attempts, a stark contrast to New England's 137. They produced 15 first downs to the Patriots' 28, ran 52 plays to New England's 62, and gave up three sacks while recording only one. When a team is that short on rushing traction, every drive asks more of the quarterback and the receivers than the scoreboard can usually tolerate.

There was also too much lost yardage around the edges. Las Vegas was flagged eight times for 101 yards, while New England committed 12 penalties for 116, so neither side was especially clean. But the Patriots had enough offensive efficiency to carry their mistakes. The Raiders did not. Gay's 46-yard field goal and Laube's short touchdown represented their only scoring after the opening-quarter reply, and that was never going to match the pace New England set.

Our take: The Patriots found the balance contenders look for

This result was not just about one hot passing day, even though Maye's numbers were excellent. The more useful sign for New England was the combination of explosive throws, credible rushing support and steady situational work. The Patriots averaged 8.2 yards per play, converted 6 of 11 third downs, went 2-for-2 on fourth down and protected the ball in the passing game. That is a broad offensive performance, not a narrow one.

There is still something to clean up, and it is worth saying plainly after a 28-point win: 116 penalty yards is too much. A team can survive that against an opponent it is outgaining by more than 200 yards, but that kind of self-inflicted damage is not a habit to admire. New England's upside looked obvious here; its discipline still needs a sharper edge.

For the Raiders, the priority looks simpler. The passing game produced useful pieces, especially through Bowers, but 2.1 yards per carry left the offence without enough balance to keep pressure on New England across four quarters. Las Vegas did finish both of its red-zone trips, which matters, and Cousins avoided turnovers through the air. Still, when the ground game gives so little and the defence allows 508 total yards, a competitive first quarter can turn into a long afternoon very quickly.

Scoring moments

1. Period 1 · 11:23

   DeMario Douglas 35 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Andy Borregales Kick)

2. Period 1 · 8:19

   Brock Bowers 13 Yd pass from Kirk Cousins (Matt Gay Kick)

3. Period 1 · 1:30

   Rhamondre Stevenson 5 Yd Rush (Andy Borregales Kick)

4. Period 2 · 0:24

   Hunter Henry 11 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Andy Borregales Kick)

5. Period 3 · 12:58

   Kyle Williams 34 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Andy Borregales Kick)

6. Period 3 · 8:30

   Matt Gay 46 Yd Field Goal

7. Period 3 · 3:10

   Drake Maye 3 Yd Rush (Andy Borregales Kick)

8. Period 4 · 14:12

   Andy Borregales 28 Yd Field Goal

9. Period 4 · 10:49

   Dylan Laube 2 Yd Rush (Matt Gay Kick)

10. Period 4 · 6:06

    DeMario Douglas 8 Yd pass from Drake Maye (Andy Borregales Kick)