3 Biggest X-Factors For Patriots to Defeat Raiders in Week 5

The New England Patriots will be taking on the Las Vegas Raiders this weekend, looking to gain their second win in a row.

New England took down the Buffalo Bills last week, grabbing a potentially season-saving victory in the process. The Patriots offense looked dead in the water prior to the game against Buffalo, with quarterback Drake Maye stepping up in a big way.

Heading into the game with the Raiders, New England sits at 2-2 on the season. Las Vegas comes into the contest at 3-1, coming off a loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

But here are three of the biggest X-Factors for the Patriots to take down the Raiders this week:

1. Drake Maye Resurgence Continues

The tales of Maye being lost out on the football field may have been exaggerated, at least for one week. The Patriots signal-caller looked good against the Bills a week ago, and he will be trying to duplicate that success again this time against Las Vegas.

Maye is easily the biggest piece of the puzzle for the Patriots, and his play ultimately impacts how the team plays. Against the Raiders, Maye will be called upon to step up again, hoping to help this team get over .500 for the first time this season.

2. Contain Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer

The Raiders have been very good at passing the ball this season, with veteran quarterback Kirk Cousins giving their system some stability. So far this year, Cousins has loved to throw to his tight ends, both Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer, giving Las Vegas a legitimate duo at the position.

If the Patriots can find a way to contain one of or both tight ends, it would force Cousins to look elsewhere, which could be worrisome for Las Vegas. New England will be missing some key defenders, including star cornerback Christian Gonzalez, making this a little tougher to do this week.

3. Get the Running Game Going

One way to help Maye out going forward is to get the running game going strong, forcing defenses to not expect the pass. Running back TreVeyon Henderson has gotten off to a slow start this season, rushing for just 141 yards and one score, with most of his numbers coming from Week 2.

Rhamondre Stevenson has only rushed for 163 yards and one touchdown, showing an unfortunate trend for the Patriots this year. But against the Raiders, if New England can get the ground game working early, they may have a good chance to break open on a few runs.