The Patriots enter their Week 1 matchup with the Raiders under a lot of pressure for several reasons, one of which is the hope of several that Josh McDaniels will exact revenge against the team that fired him while he was out with his kids on Halloween in 2023. But the biggest cause of pressure is starting the season off on the right foot to set the tone for a very telling year.
There is a reason Mike Vrabel was hired after a failed one off year under Jerod Mayo. Robert Kraft wants to see the team get back to being a competitive group that can make the Super Bowl sooner rather than later, so getting a win in Week 1 is crucial.
It won't be an easy feat, despite the Raiders being another team in the midst of a rebuild. However, the sudden retirement of Amari Cooper certainly helps the Patriots' young defense, especially since Christian Gonzalez was ruled out on Friday morning as he continues to deal with a hamstring injury.
That has prompted a lot of concern about New England's secondary, now that Carlton Davis will be the top option, with Alex Austin and DJ James alongside him. Fortunately, the Raiders' lack of a superstar receiver might actually work in their favor, making it the best-case scenario for Gonzalez to be sidelined.
Christian Gonzalez's absence might not be as significant for the Patriots as we might think
There's no denying the impact that Gonzalez has on the success of the Patriots' secondary, and he will always be missed when he's unable to play. However, when a team like the Raiders comes to town and doesn't have a superstar receiver on its roster, it should make for a much easier day for the young defense.
Levi Damien of Raiders Wire nearly said as much when discussing Las Vegas' biggest weaknesses going into this game. It's clear the Patriots will have more to worry about with tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer than their receiving corps.
"They still don't have a certified number one receiver. They have Jakobi Meyers coming off his first 1000-yard season, boasting zero drops. Yeah, he's reliable, and a great guy to have on your team. But he isn't a number one. And, yeah, some will suggest tight end Brock Bowers is the team's number one, but to that I would introduce the idea of both. That being the ability for a team to have both a number one wide receiver and an elite tight end.
The other receivers are speedy Tre Tucker and rookies Dont'e Thornton and Jack Bech. Thornton looks to have earned the starting job, if only by being the only X receiver they have. While Bech is still trying to find his place on the roster."
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Although Jakobi Meyers might not be the explosive WR1 option that most teams would roster, there's no reason to overlook just how impactful he can be for the Raiders' roster. He proved that during the 2024 season, as Damien mentioned, as he recorded the first 1,000+ yard season of his career.
Now that Cooper won't be around, Meyers inevitably becomes QB Geno Smith's top option, and based on what we saw from him last season, he could be a problem for the young Patriots secondary, even if he's not the flashiest of players.
The good thing, however, is Josh McDaniels' familiarity with how Meyers operates from his days with the Patriots before signing with the Raiders in 2023. That should work in their favor, and he can share that knowledge with the defense to hopefully shut Meyers down.
Because he will be the main receiver to account for, it feels like it's the best time for Gonzalez to miss a game and give the rest of the cornerbacks the chance to prove themselves. This would be an entirely different conversation if the top receiver to shadow was someone of A.J. Brown's caliber, but that won't be the case until Week 2, when the Patriots play the Dolphins in Miami and have to account for Tyreek Hill and Jaylen Waddle.