The New England Patriots are back to a winning record for the first time this season. The team dominated the Las Vegas Raiders in Gillette Stadium on Sunday, 45-17.
From domination in the trenches to depth pieces stepping up in their increased roles, here are the biggest winners, and losers, from Sunday's victory.
Winner: QB Drake Maye
Another week, another step up for Maye. The third-year signal caller tossed just one touchdown and seven interceptions through the Patriots' first three games of the season. A week ago against the Buffalo Bills, he tossed for three scores and combined for a pair of turnovers.
But against the Raiders, Maye was near-perfect. The 24-year-old scored five touchdowns (four passing, one rushing), completed over 76% of his passes and had his first turnover-free game of the year.
"It was beautiful to be a part of today," Maye said after the win. "(Offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels) was clicking on all cylinders, making us look good, and we were executing. I think that's what it's like when we put some things together and, and we still have some. I mean, it's crazy to say we still got some, some left to to squeeze."
Loser: RB Corey Kiner
The Patriots traded for Kiner prior to roster cuts to be the team's third running back. Prior to Sunday's battle with the Raiders, the former Arizona Cardinal had fit that role perfectly.
However, against Las Vegas, Kiner was responsible for New England's sole turnover of the day. On his first rush attempt of the day, with the Patriots up by just one possession, the 24-year-old had the ball punched away from him to give the Raiders possession in field-goal range.
Winner: WR DeMario Douglas
Heading into Sunday, Douglas had a very tame stat-line on the season: just nine receptions for 82 yards and no touchdowns. Against the Raiders, however, he had one of his best performances of his career. The 25-year-old caught four passes for 65 yards and a pair of scores, marking his first-ever multi-touchdown day.
"It's just awesome for me to see guys like Caleb getting in there and playing his butt off and different guys and (Douglas) have been playing and running routes well all year and finally getting rewarded," Maye said on Sunday. "I just love to see guys that do the right things over and over and finally get rewarded in the game, and I think that's one of the best things about my position is able to spread the wealth and see other guys succeed and it's beautiful to watch."
Winner: OT Caleb Lomu
When the Patriots drafted Lomu in April, the plan seemed for him to be an "in case of emergency" option at tackle as he developed to be the long-term replacement to Morgan Moses. On Sunday, however, that emergency situation arose. New England's first-round pick played 49 snaps after left-side starter Will Campbell suffered an injury.
In Lomu's action, he allowed just one pressure. Plus, the 21-year-old wasn't called for any penalties.
"Just proud of our offensive line, and I wanna recognize them," Vrabel said after the win. "I thought that they understood what the protection was and how to keep the middle of the pocket clean...And so that's a testament to them for understanding what they have to be able to do, and guys stepped up. You know, Caleb [Lomu] had to go in there, and, you know, everybody, we had all hands on deck."
Loser: OT Morgan Moses
While Campbell and Lomu held their own at left tackle, Moses had his struggles on the right side. The veteran allowed three pressures and a quarterback hit in his 38 pass block snaps. Even worse, however, were the penalties.
Moses was flagged twice on Sunday, each in detrimental situations. The 35-year-old was called for holding on a third-and-2. Later on that same drive, he was penalized for a false start on first-and-goal from the 1-yard line. While New England fought through both calls, those easily could have wiped points off the board.
Winner: CB Kindle Vildor
Heading into the afternoon, the Patriots were incredibly thin at cornerback. New England was without starters Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis III, plus depth pieces Karon Prunty and Channing Canada. One of only three players active at the position on Sunday, Vildor stepped up.
The 28-year-old allowed just two receptions and broke up a pass in the five targets he saw. He also forced a fumble on Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers.
"Just exactly what we would expect," Vrabel said regarding Vildor's performance. "You know, that's why we had him in that position and had ability for him to be elevated or get signed and step in there and compete. And nothing was perfect. Nothing is ever gonna be perfect, but, you know, for him to understand what he has to do and, you know, great opportunistic hammer and turnover and punch out there, it's, you know, the competitive spirit of some of these guys is, is really truly special."
Winner: EDGE Elijah Ponder
Ponder has been a force to be reckoned with this season for the Patriots. He has already surpassed his sack total from last season with 4.5 (team-high). Two of those came on Sunday, including a forced fumble at the end of the first half which could have led to another score had New England recovered.
The former undrafted free agent also notched a pair of run stops and pressured the quarterback on four of his pass rushes. Although the Patriots' edge rusher group was looked upon as one of the worst in the NFL heading into 2026, Ponder has played a substantial role in bringing the pass rush's production up to par.
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