Revenge games are common in professional sports, and they happen almost every year in the NFL, typically in the first matchup between a player/team and their former team. For the Patriots on Sunday, it's Josh McDaniels vs. the team that fired him on Halloween in 2023, the Las Vegas Raiders, who have already beaten the Patriots at Gillette Stadium since he returned.
This will be the second time the offensive coordinator faces them, after the Raiders won in Week 1 last season.
This year's roster looks much different, however, with quarterback Geno Smith back with the Jets and Kirk Cousins taking over under center ahead of rookie Fernando Mendoza. The veteran has helped lead them to a 3-1 record, and they hope to steal a win this week to get back on track.
And according to former offensive lineman Richie Incognito, who spent one season with the Raiders under McDaniels, it's another opportunity for them to seek revenge on the coach they feel made the roster miserable.
Meanwhile, McDaniels can try to finally put the ongoing narrative to rest, at least for now.
Josh McDaniels is still a foe to the Raiders even three years later
In response to a tweet from a Patriots writer on Twitter/X, Incognito made it clear that current and former Raiders players do not like or respect McDaniels as head coach, citing the damage he inflicted on the franchise as a major reason.
Beyond that, he let it be known that the current roster, some of whom were on the team when McDaniels was there, "haven't forgotten" what his tenure was like and this week's matchup "is personal," despite having already faced the Patriots last season.
While it makes sense that some lingering bad feelings remain for those who experienced McDaniels as their head coach, it doesn't make much sense that, three years later, they're still seeking some form of revenge or considering the matchup "personal."
McDaniels was fired. He took a year away from football before returning to where he's always been the most successful. He hasn't said a word about his time in Las Vegas, or if he has, it's been nothing but positive, unlike what current and former Raiders players, including Incognito, have said.
It's not surprising that McDaniels had another failed head-coaching tenure, given his first stint with the Broncos, but not everyone is suited to be a head coach. He was likely trying to be too much like Bill Belichick, and that bit him hard; unfortunately, he'll have to deal with this kind of conversation whenever his Raiders past is mentioned.
But he can use all the chatter as motivation to win on Sunday, something the Patriots desperately need to get their season back on track.
That started with a win over the Bills in Buffalo last week, and although they are dealing with a long list of injuries that could determine their fate on Sunday, they still have a chance to get the win they should have gotten last season.
The negative conversation needs to fuel Josh McDaniels and the Patriots' offense
The Patriots are known for keeping the noise outside of the building, so there's a good chance they won't even mention what's being said leading up to Sunday's game.
However, McDaniels will inevitably hear it one way or another, and it doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that the conversation around him and the Raiders is not going to be the most polite or positive.
That should motivate the play-caller to have another stellar game this week, as he was mostly credited with, and, hopefully, Drake Maye as well, who played his best game of the season against the Bills.
If the offensive roster likes McDaniels, and they do, they can use the ongoing negativity around him to fuel them, too. On top of building on the win they just got, they know they face the Jets next week. '
Going into that matchup with another win, especially against a team like the Raiders, would make it even sweeter.
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