It was obviously a step up in competition for the New England Patriots as they joined the Las Vegas Raiders in the desert on Tuesday for their first joint practice session together.
From the very beginning, it was clear they weren’t facing the New York Giants or Carolina Panthers.
The Raiders are a significantly more talented football team with the possibility of becoming a serious playoff contender after some major offseason acquisitions, including Chandler Jones on defense, Davante Adams on offense and former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels as the team’s new head coach.
Las Vegas definitely gets the nod on day one if we’re picking a joint practice winner. But there were also some positives to take away from a Patriots perspective as well.
Whew! Davante Adams is good
The Patriots’ defensive backfield got taken to school at practice by All-Pro wideout Davante Adams, who was seemingly taking whatever he wanted on the field.
Even Jalen Mills, who had an incredibly strong week of practices against the Carolina Panthers last week, got dominated in one-on-ones against Adams. Granted, the Patriots do need to improve in shoring things up in the secondary, but there were also plays being made on the field where you simply just tip your cap to the opposition.
There’s a reason why the vast majority considers Adams to be the best receiver in football right now. The Patriots found that out the hard way when the Raiders’ star wideout seemed virtually unstoppable at times on the field.
Out of all the training camp practices I’ve seen since 2018, Davante Adams today was the best for any wide receiver. The things he was doing were downright ridiculous.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 23, 2022
Run game stopped cold
The rushing attack for the Patriots stalled out way too many times in this practice. Even with Isaiah Wynn returning, the offensive line couldn’t generate enough push up front to free up space for their running backs to work.
Second-year running back Rhamondre Stevenson talked about the importance of getting the running game going after practice was over on Tuesday.
Rhamondre Stevenson on the run game’s struggles: “That’s what any tough football team wants to do: run the ball. So, we need to hone down on that, and get that done.” pic.twitter.com/JPSoAsBbPl
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 23, 2022
The Patriots are already facing question marks at receiver, and the last thing the offense needs is to consistently put quarterback Mac Jones in third-and-long situations. It’s a problem the team is going to have to address fairly quickly with the season-opener right around the corner.
There are obviously still growing pains from the offensive schematic changes, which could linger into the season.
Defensive front continues to wreak havoc
One of the bright spots for the Patriots throughout preseason and the joint training camp practices has been their defensive front. The unit continued to show up when it mattered most against the Raiders’ first-team offense.
On the final two-minute drive of practice, they had what would have been three sacks on quarterback Derek Carr.
Matthew Judon, Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings all caused major headaches for the Raiders offense during practice.
Strong finish for the Patriots’ starting defense, which had three sacks and a drawn hold in its final two-minute drill. Matthew Judon, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Josh Uche all disruptive.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 23, 2022
The ability to consistently generate pressure up front is going to put the Patriots’ defensive backs in better positions to make the sort of game-breaking plays the team will need to succeed in 2022.
Heat was a factor
Both teams had to battle through the elements a bit with it being in the mid-90s. And that was at the start of practice in the morning. So the temperatures were definitely higher when the teams took their final snap on the field.
Patriots players were in an out of the lineup, mostly due to playing in the intense conditions. Coach Bill Belichick often savors opportunities to test his players against the elements, and he’ll have plenty of them in the team’s visit to Las Vegas.
It could take players a while to get acclimated to playing in the desert. We’ll see if things are any better on day two.
Strong ending to practice
It isn’t about how you start but how you finish, right?
On a day where the Raiders seemingly had the Patriots’ number, Mac Jones and the offense finished strong in their final two-minute drill of practice.
After the defense got a stop on the other side of the ball, Jones and the offense marched down the field on a drive that ended with a Kendrick Bourne touchdown reception. It was a much-needed bounce-back performance from Bourne, who dropped a pass earlier. But it was an even bigger bounce-back for the entire unit after being shut down at various points by the Raiders.
Nice bounce-back sequence for the #Patriots in 11s:
– Defense got LV O off the field. Judon drawn hold and sack on b2b plays. Carr did appear to miss an open Brandon Bolden on a seam route.
– Pats O drives for a TD. On time throws to Meyers (3rd down), Parker, Jonnu, Bourne TD.
— Evan Lazar (@ezlazar) August 23, 2022
The hope is that the Patriots can draw some motivation from that final drive and carry it over into Wednesday’s practice. It’s clear there’s a different intensity when facing a possible AFC playoff contender in the Raiders. The Patriots have to try to match it.
