Previewing New England’s Week 5 Matchup vs. the Las Vegas Raiders | Patriots Roundtable Podcast

After starting the season with three of their first four games of 2026 played on the road, the New England Patriots (2-2) return home to the comfort of Gillette Stadium for the next two weeks. First up is an intraconference matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders (3-1), who began the fall on a hot streak before dropping their first contest last Sunday.

On today’s episode of the Patriots Roundtable Podcast, hosts Eddie Marotta and Tyler Geis preview New England’s homecoming “throwback” game against Las Vegas — examining matchups that could swing the game’s result, keys to victory on both sides of the football, and predicting the game’s outcome. 

For the Patriots’ offense, they’ll enter Sunday’s contest fresh off of their most impressive performance of the first month of the season in a 29-26 upset victory over the AFC East-rival Buffalo Bills at Highmark Stadium last week. Drake Maye looked to rekindle his 2025 MVP-caliber form in the game with 322 total yards and three touchdowns, while his developing connections with Romeo Doubs (6 catches, 58 yards, two touchdowns) and Efton Chism III (two catches, 42 yards, one touchdown — all on the game-winning drive) stole the show. New England will need to continue along that trajectory to have success against a Raiders’ defense that leads the NFL with nine takeaways.

On the flip side, the Patriots’ defense will once again be shorthanded — with an extensive list of key contributors including Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis continuing to miss significant time. Las Vegas’ offense, led by Kirk Cousins, is tied for the league-lead in touchdown passes (11), and he’s performed well to keep the Raiders ahead of the sticks, even without the benefit of a stable rushing attack to supplement production. Ashton Jeanty (3.4 yards per carry) has struggled to find space behind Las Vegas’ offensive line on the ground, but has been a focal point of the short passing game head coach Klint Kubiak has leaned on to start the year. Tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer have led the way as pass-catchers in an offense that emphasizes 12 personnel, with wide receiver Tre Tucker being the lone target to receive a consistent volume of targets on the outside.

New England should have several matchup advantages in this game, but they’ll need to keep from beating themselves against an opportunistic team on the opposing sidelines. Last week’s win at Buffalo was the best complementary effort they’ve put together on the year, and they’ll look to carry that success back into their home stadium this Sunday.

How do you think the Patriots will fare in their matchup against the Raiders this Sunday? Drop your thoughts in the comments below and join the conversation on Patriots Roundtable.

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