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The Eye on Foxborough Newsletter

September 5, 2025

Drake Maye (AP Photo)

Kicking off

Week 1 is finally upon us. The Mike Vrabel era is about to begin.

It's showtime, and the Las Vegas Raiders are first up for the Patriots.

Fans are hoping this will be the start of something new, something better, as opposed to the same old.

Like the Patriots, the Raiders were a 4-win team last year. They also changed coaches, with old friend Pete Carroll now running the team. 

The contest should reveal quite a bit about the Patriots, and answer some questions. 

This is Year 2 for Drake Maye. How will he adapt to Josh McDaniels' offense? Will a revamped offensive line be any better than last year's disaster? How much impact will Stefon Diggs have? Is TreVeyon Henderson the real deal? Is the defense as good as their press clippings suggest? And, how much will not having Christian Gonzalez mean?

Vrabel has talked about the importance of getting stronger as the game moves along. After getting all the nerves and kinks out in the first half, he's looking for a big second half effort.

"We talked about being great in the second half and being intentional with that," Vrabel said Monday. "Twelve of the 16 winners won the second half last year in Week 1, so hopefully the dust settles and we're able to settle down in the game and play really well to finish the game."

The Patriots would also like to establish a home presence. They haven't had that in quite awhile. 

Vrabel certainly knows what it's like to have an edge playing at home. While the opening game won't make or break the season, it's important to see how the Vrabel imprint starts to take shape.

Here are some links from the week …  

Lessons learned from studying Tom Brady should aid Drake Maye | Karen Guregian

Josh McDaniels has high expectations for Patriots QB Drake Maye

Where Drake Maye has improved most, according to Patriots QB coach

Ex-Patriots quarterback explains why Drake Maye will benefit having Josh McDaniels as OC

Drake Maye excited to ‘get the rock’ to Stefon Diggs in Patriots’ opener

Stefon Diggs prepared for full workload in Patriots debut vs Raiders

Patriots WR Stefon Diggs clears the air on his media silence

Is the Patriots defense legit, or a paper tiger? | Karen Guregian

Patriots rookies primed to make immediate impact for Mike Vrabel

Patriots’ offensive line overhaul to be tested against Raiders

Top 5 questions facing Mike Vrabel’s Patriots team

MassLive experts predict Patriots’ record in 2025, Super Bowl and division winners

Patriots reveal new captains under Mike Vrabel

Mike Vrabel provides the latest on Patriots corner Christian Gonzalez

Christian Gonzalez situation one of many nightmare scenarios for Patriots | Karen Guregian

Everything Patriots coach Mike Vrabel said about release of Jabrill Peppers

Patriots didn’t invest ‘a lot of time or resources’ trying to acquire Micah Parsons, coach says

How Tommy DeVito is bringing ‘Italian swagger’ to Patriots QB room

Test your football knowledge against MassLive’s football experts by making picks each week in the Pro Football U Pick 'Em Challenge sponsored by MGM Springfield.

Every week, a MassLive sportswriter will pick the result of the upcoming Patriots game. Follow along with our picks of every game here.

Sports columnist Matt Vautour kicks us off with Week 1:

I am the canary in the coal mine.

Every week, a MassLive sportswriter will pick the result of the upcoming Patriots game. I have the honor of Week 1. I suspect that will be a much easier task once we’ve all been able to see how Mike Vrabel’s crew looks against an opponent in a real game.

I don’t have that luxury. On top of that, the Raiders have a new coach and a new quarterback. So this really is Pin the Pick on the Donkey and in the hands of a lesser prognosticator, that would be a problem.

If I were wise, I’d write something vague that gives me some wiggle room.

But what fun would that be? I’m going to not only tell you the result, but the score and some of the details:

The Patriots are going to win.

The score is going to be 31-28. Raiders kicker Daniel Carlson will miss a 49-yard field goal in the third quarter that will prove critical.

Drake Maye will throw for 274 yards with two touchdowns. He’ll force an ill-advised throw on his one interception.

Stephon Diggs will show promise and have one signature catch that makes fans excited about having him. But Pop Douglas will lead the Patriots in receiving yardage and Hunter Henry will have two touchdown catches. Rhamondre Stevenson will lead the Patriots in rushing yards, outgaining promising rookie TreVeyon Henderson by 12 yards.

Jakobi Meyers will catch six passes for 81 yards for the Raiders.

The Raiders will have the ball late and Pete Carroll will look really fired up about it on the sidelines, but they won’t cross midfield before turning the ball over on downs, allowing the Patriots to run out the clock.

The Pick: Patriots 31, Raiders 28

Here is this week's highlighted question:

What's your prediction for Stefon Diggs? Do you think he'll have a good season? - Michelle from Walpole

Guregian: I do think Diggs will be productive. He won't have the type of production of an elite No. 1 stud, but he'll be good enough to have an impact in the Patriots offense.

He wants to have a good year. He's determined to show that he can still play post-ACL surgery. And I think in Josh McDaniels offense, it's set up for him to succeed and make plays.

NOTE: MassLive columnist Karen Guregian will answer reader questions in this space weekly. If you have questions on the Patriots, NFL, or anything else, email Karen at kguregian@masslive.com or tweet to @kguregian.

Ernie Adams (AP Photo)

Ernie Adams talks shop and gives rare peek inside John ‘Stretch’ Streicher’s role with Patriots

Legendary Ernie Adams shares thoughts on Mike Vrabel and 2025 Patriots

Patriots owner Robert Kraft hints at potential Bill Belichick statue

UNC throttled in Bill Belichick’s debut

Bill Belichick’s hyped debut at North Carolina revealed harsh reality he’s now facing

UNC blocks Patriots scouts as Bill Belichick feud intensifies (report)

NOTE: If you like what you see here, make sure to follow MassLive's Patriots reporters Chris Mason and Mark Daniels and columnists Karen Guregian, Matt Vautour and Sean McAdam and Nick O'Malley on Twitter. You should also bookmark MassLive's Patriots page and like our Patriots page on Facebook. 

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You're all caught up.

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