Pete Carroll and Mike Vrabel will make their respective debuts with the Las Vegas Raiders and New England Patriots, respectively, when the two teams meet in Week 1 on Sunday at Gillette Stadium.
The Raiders are coming off a 4-13 season that saw them finish last in the AFC West. But there is hope for 2025 after the team upgraded the quarterback spot following the trade for Geno Smith.
Meanwhile, the Patriots also finished with a 4-13 mark in 2024. Now, Vrabel will look to move the franchise forward in his first season. His ability to do so will heavily depend on the progress of Drake Maye under center.
Considering what we saw from both teams last season, this matchup figures to be one of the most even ones in Week 1. Let's see what experts are saying about it.
Patriots-Raiders picks, predictions for Week 1
Vinnie Iyer, Sporting News: Patriots 24, Raiders 20
Iyer: "Drake Maye gets to operate in a much improved offense with his personnel and scheming from former Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels. Mike Vrabel also will work to get the defense to overachieve at home after containing rookie feature back Ashton Jeanty, spoiling counterpart Pete Carroll's own new team coaching debut."
Bill Bender, Sporting News: Patriots 20, Raiders 18
Bender: "A couple fun coaching debuts here with Mike Vrabel and Pete Carroll, two coaches who know how to lean on the running game. Rookie running backs Ashton Jeanty and TreVeyon Henderson will find the spotlight here. Geno Smith gets to work with tight end Brock Bowers and Amari Cooper. The Patriots were 0-6 last season when Maye took three or more sacks. Will he stay away from Maxx Crosby long enough?"
Jeremy Cluff, Arizona Republic: Patriots 21, Raiders 17
Cluff: "Is Drake Maye ready to take a step forward for the Patriots? New England had a busy offseason trying to put him in a position to succeed. It will pay off in Week 1 against the Raiders."
Matt Bowen: Patriots
Mike Clay: Patriots
Kalyn Kahler: Raiders
Seth Wickersham: Patriots
John Breech, CBS Sports: Patriots 23, Raiders 16
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