The New England Patriots left plenty to be desired on defense in head coach Mike Vrabel’s regular-season debut in Foxboro.
The Patriots surrendered 10 pass plays of over 20 yards in their 20-13 Week 1 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders, including some back-breakers in the second half.
There’s not going to be many silver linings when you get burned repeatedly by 34-year-old quarterback Geno Smith, and a receiving core that played without its top target, tight end Brock Bowers, for the majority of the second half due to a knee injury.
Geno Smith and the Raiders had 9 completions of 20+ yards today against the Patriots.
— Sheil Kapadia (@SheilKapadia) September 7, 2025
No other offense has had more than 5 such completions so far in Week 1.
New England did have a few bright spots, including two of Vrabel’s top offseason free agent signings. Per Pro Football Focus, the Patriots generated 21 QB pressures in the game, and 14 of them came from defensive end Milton Williams and EDGE Harold Landry III.
Even more promising? One of the Patriots’ best players on the field in Sunday’s season opener was a rookie — and it wasn’t left tackle Will Campbell or running back TreVeyon Henderson.
Rookie safety Craig Woodson looks like a Day 3 steal for the New England Patriots
There’s no way the Patriots anticipated Woodson, their fourth-round pick in the 2025 NFL Draft, being an every-down player right out of the chute, but that was the situation in Week 1 against the Raiders.
Woodson started, played all 63 defensive snaps, and, as he did throughout training camp, continues to look the part of a franchise safety in the making. He flashed his versatility, splitting time both up near the line of scrimmage in run support — he was in on two tackles behind the line of scrimmage — and back deep in coverage. Woodson also played seven snaps covering the slot, per PFF, and surrendered just two catches for six yards in the game.
In their first defensive series, the Patriots rolled out what ESPN’s Mike Reiss called their “big nickel package,” with three safeties on the field. That allowed the demoted Kyle Dugger to start along with Woodson and veteran Jaylinn Hawkins.
Dugger wound up playing just seven total defensive snaps on the day, however, and there’s no doubt that Woodson’s quick ascension this summer played a role in Dugger being phased out of the team’s immediate plans for 2025.
Hawkins had a rough game, allowing catches on all three of his targets in coverage, with one of them a breezy touchdown from Smith to Tre Tucker. It’s possible Vrabel will continue to tinker with the lineup and potentially give second-year pro Dell Pettus more opportunities.
But with Jabrill Peppers now out of the picture as well, New England’s safety group appears poised to run through the 24-year-old Woodson this season.