The New England Patriots' offense was disappointing as a whole against the Raiders on Sunday, scoring just 13 points against a defense that ranked 25th last season in PPG allowed. The hallmark of the Raiders' unit, Maxx Crosby, recorded a single sack and, for the most part, was kept quiet. All things considered, Crosby wasn't the reason the Patriots lost the game.
The passing offense was far from perfect, but it wasn't bad either. Kayshon Boutte eclipsed 100 yards, Stefon Diggs matched Boutte's catch total of six, and Hunter Henry's four grabs led to 66 yards.
Instead, the major aspect of the game that led the Patriots to put up a measly 13 points was their anemic run offense.
David Andrews was not thrilled with the same thing Patriots fans complained about in Week 1
As a group, the running backs had 13 carries for 45 yards. The lead back, Rhamondre Stevenson, was abysmal, recording just 15 yards from seven carries for an average of 2.1 a pop. TreVeyon Henderson's totals were better: five carries notched him 27 yards, but when omitting his 14-yard carry, he sits at just 3.3 yards per run. He showed a burst, yes, but consistently not all that effective.
Former Patriots center David Andrews made his opinion and disappointment known on 98.5 The Sports Hub's Zolak and Bertrand the day after the game.
“Watching the game from an O-line perspective, an offensive perspective, I wasn’t that disappointed in the pass blocking but more disappointed in the run game, I just thought that was going to be a strength of this team.”
The run game being a strength was expected. OC Josh McDaniels has consistently deployed a run-heavy offense during his play-calling career, and it seemed 2025 would be no different. The team added a pair of new tackles, a new left guard, and a new center, and they looked good running the ball during the preseason.
Hybrid fullback Jack Westover was the icing on the cake, and it looked to be a given that the team would return to their run-heavy offense that lent itself to so much success in the past with Brady and company.
The Patriots will take on the Dolphins on Sunday, who allowed 156 rush yards to the Colts in Week 1, the sixth most of any team. Despite the high total yardage, they kept all running backs under four yards per carry, a respectable figure. Daniel Jones had two touchdowns as well.
The Patriots have the opportunity to play ground and pound football against the Dolphins, whose defensive line consists of rookie Kenneth Grant, Zach Sieler, and Benito Jones. Considering the pass rush ability from their edge defenders (Jaelan Phillips, Bradley Chubb, Chop Robinson, Matt Judon), New England may be convinced to attempt a high-volume run offense again. Sunday will say a lot about the mentality of this squad and coaching staff.