The Raiders spent September looking like a team that had finally learned how to avoid beating itself. Sunday in New England looked far too much like the version they thought they had left behind.
Las Vegas committed 8 penalties for 101 yards, allowed 536 total yards and watched Drake Maye carve through its secondary in a 45-17 loss to the Patriots. The Raiders fell to 3-2 after opening the season with three straight wins.
The 536 yards were just 3 shy of the franchise record for most allowed in a game.
Maye finished 26-of-34 for 374 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions. He also repeatedly escaped pressure, turning would-be sacks into completions or scrambles as the Raiders failed to finish plays.
Maye makes Las Vegas pay
New England set the tone early and rarely let up.
Maye hit DeMario Douglas for a 35-yard touchdown on the Patriots’ opening drive, then kept Las Vegas on the field with his legs on the next possession. Rhamondre Stevenson finished that drive with a 5-yard touchdown run for a 14-7 lead.
The Raiders answered once, with Kirk Cousins finding Brock Bowers for a 13-yard touchdown after completions of 24 yards to Bowers and 17 to Cody White.
After that, the game tilted hard toward New England.
Maye threw touchdowns to Douglas twice, Kyle Williams and Hunter Henry. Several of those scores came with Patriots receivers finding large pockets of space in the Raiders secondary.
Las Vegas also struggled to get off the field when it had the chance. Defensive penalties extended drives, while Maye repeatedly escaped pressure from Maxx Crosby and others.
New England averaged 8.1 yards per play and finished with 371 net passing yards.
Raiders waste their best chance
The biggest first-half swing came after Adam Butler punched the ball free from Corey Kiner and Darien Porter recovered at the New England 38.
Las Vegas had a short field and a chance to cut into a 14-7 deficit. Instead, the Raiders gained only 7 yards before Matt Gay’s 49-yard field-goal attempt hit the left upright, his first miss of the season.
New England immediately drove 61 yards in 1:28, with Maye hitting Henry for an 11-yard touchdown with 24 seconds left in the half.
Instead of potentially going to halftime down 14-10, the Raiders went in trailing 21-7.
That 10-point swing became the clearest example of how Las Vegas kept wasting opportunities.
Penalties erase the Raiders’ early-season discipline
Las Vegas entered the game as one of the league’s least-penalized teams. That discipline disappeared almost immediately.
Eric Stokes was flagged twice for defensive pass interference in the first quarter, including a 27-yard penalty that extended a Patriots touchdown drive. Hezekiah Masses was later flagged for pass interference, while Quay Walker drew another costly interference call that kept New England on the field in the third quarter.
The Raiders finished with 8 penalties for 101 yards.
Those mistakes were only part of the problem. New England rushed for 165 yards, moved the chains 29 times and controlled the ball for 34:27.
Las Vegas also struggled to run the ball. Ashton Jeanty, who entered questionable with ankle and foot injuries, finished with 27 yards on 10 carries.
Bowers produces, then gives one away
Bowers remained the Raiders’ most reliable offensive weapon.
He caught eight passes for 110 yards and a touchdown, providing most of Las Vegas’ meaningful production through the air. But even his day included a costly mistake.
After the Raiders converted a fourth down late in the third quarter, Bowers fumbled after a 16-yard catch. It was the first lost fumble of his NFL career.
Cousins finished 19-of-28 for 243 yards with one touchdown and no interceptions. He was sacked three times after the Raiders had allowed only five sacks through their first four games.
Mendoza gets his first NFL snaps
With the outcome decided, Fernando Mendoza made his NFL regular-season debut late in the fourth quarter.
The Heisman Trophy winner completed 6 of 8 passes for 48 yards and showed poise in limited action. He converted a third down with a completion to Ian Thomas, hit Tre Tucker for 16 yards and helped move the Raiders to the New England 11 before the drive ended on downs.
There was no comeback to chase by then.
The more important question is what happens next.
Las Vegas spent its first month proving it could compete with good teams. Sunday was the first time this season the Raiders looked thoroughly outclassed, and the margin was not created by one turnover or one bad break.
It was a full-game breakdown, and one they will have to answer quickly.
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Dice City Sports editor Mark Hebert covers the Las Vegas Aces, Vegas Golden Knights, Las Vegas Raiders, Athletics, and UNLV baseball and softball. He has 24 years of journalism experience, is also a senior reporter at Exhibit City News, and previously covered the Dallas Stars and Texas Rangers. Follow him on X or connect on LinkedIn.
