The New England Patriots’ season-opening loss to the Las Vegas Raiders raised lots of questions. It also made this Week 2 game in Miami surprisingly important.
Will second-year quarterback Drake Maye look better against the Dolphins? Can the defense fix its big-play problem? And could the Pats really lose to a Dolphins team that appeared to be checked out in Week 1?
We’ll get to all of that eventually. For now, you had plenty of questions about what happened against the Raiders. So let’s get to our first mailbag of the season.
Note: Submitted questions were lightly edited for length and clarity.
What is more important for Maye in his second year as (hopefully) the franchise QB: developing his fundamentals so he can play the position efficiently, or teaching him a new offensive scheme so he can learn to win football games? — Tim V.
This is a fascinating question because it seems like the answer for the Patriots has changed. Last season, there seemed to be less emphasis on reading a defense and understanding how to beat it and more on prioritizing footwork and mechanics. And I think that was probably the right decision. Maye had some mechanical flaws coming out of college, and it was best to address them as soon as he entered the NFL.
On the other hand, the focus this season with Josh McDaniels seems to be more on teaching Maye a complex offensive scheme and getting him to understand why the Patriots are doing what they’re doing.
In theory, both were probably the right call at the time. Focus on the fundamentals in Year 1, then the scheme in Year 2.
But if we continue to get games like Sunday’s, it might be time to reverse course. Multiple times on Monday, coach Mike Vrabel mentioned Maye’s desire to run plays perfectly. It sounds like it’s hindering his performance if plays don’t go exactly as they’re drawn up. Look for the Pats to focus on that in the coming weeks.
How confident are you, on a scale of 1 to 10, where 1 is Hugh Millen and 10 is Tom Brady, that Maye will be an elite QB for the Patriots (O-line, WR and general dearth of talent notwithstanding)? — Tim M C.
I’m confident Maye will be a starting quarterback in the NFL for a long time.
But when you say elite, that makes me think of a top-five quarterback. That’s where things get more complicated.
Maye has a long career in front of him. But given the difficulties inherent in what he’s surrounded by — stuck learning another offense with a mediocre offensive line and a bad group of wide receivers — it’d be hard to be confident that Maye is going to be an elite quarterback.
It felt like the Raiders were picking on safety Jaylinn Hawkins. Were the Raiders scheming to exploit a perceived weakness, were the Patriots coaches putting him in tough positions or was it a function of individual mistakes? — Stephen C.
This is an important question, particularly after the Patriots overhauled their safety room, cutting Jabrill Peppers while sending Kyle Dugger to the bench.
The short answer is Hawkins struggled in the opener. He was caught flat-footed too often and struggled when he needed to be a roaming, downfield free safety. (He was better when he played closer to the line of scrimmage.)
That said, though I’d put most of it on Hawkins, the high frequency of blitzes meant Hawkins was going to have to cover longer than you’d generally like a safety to cover. If he has another game like that, the Pats might have to call fewer blitzes.
All offseason, we read that TreVeyon Henderson is the team’s most explosive offensive player. Why did he receive only five carries? — Adam C.
That was a problem. Really, the entire running game was a problem. The run blocking was a concern, especially because that’s an area where the Pats should be better. It also wasn’t great that McDaniels abandoned the running game as early as he did. The Pats aren’t built to throw it as much as they did.
All of that said, Henderson needs to play more. Rhamondre Stevenson wasn’t as bad as you might think (more on that below), but this offense needs juice, and Henderson can provide it.
Which issue should the Patriots prioritize addressing: Maye’s tendency to miss high on throws or defensive coordinator Terrell Williams’ unit allowing nine plays of 20 yards or more? — Christopher O.
Maye’s performance was the biggest issue Sunday, bar none. The big plays the defense allowed are concerning, sure, but I’m willing to chalk up some of the struggles to blitzes not getting home and the fact that the unit was without its best player.
But Maye needs to be more accurate. He has continued to have issues missing receivers early in the game when he seems too amped up. That has to improve, and there is no sugarcoating it.
Something was off with Stevenson on Sunday. He looked like a power back who has taken too many hits and lost his power and explosiveness. Is this a one-off? Or do you think the Patriots should be concerned and give more reps to Henderson and Antonio Gibson, both of whom looked much more dynamic? — Jack R.
After the game, I had a similar feeling. But the numbers don’t support the eye test in this instance.
Stevenson had 15 rushing yards in Week 1, 17 of which came after contact. Essentially, he was getting hit at or behind the line of scrimmage on nearly every carry. Until the run blocking improves, it’s going to be hard to expect much more.
At the same time, there’s no reason for Stevenson to be playing 65 percent of offensive snaps compared to just 35 percent for Henderson.
“I think some of it is just based on the play and the flow of the game and knowing that they’re all going to have a role,” Vrabel said.
Will we see more Kyle Williams and (some) Efton Chism III sooner than later? — Gregory H.
The Patriots offense needs a deep-threat receiver, which is why the team drafted Williams. It needs to give him more of an opportunity.
As for Chism, I didn’t think we’d see much from him this season, but I’m having second thoughts after Week 1. That’s because I was underwhelmed by DeMario Douglas in the opener. He’s still going to be the starter in the slot this week, but if he struggles again, maybe we’ll see Chism get a chance there.
Trying to find some positives from Week 1: Harold Landry III was fantastic. Do you think his Week 1 output is sustainable, or was this a blip against a weak Raiders O-line? — Jeff Y.
Landry ranks first in the NFL in pressure rate (among players with 25 pass-rush snaps) and leads the league in sacks (2.5). It was an incredible Patriots debut for him.
Still, that probably isn’t sustainable. The Raiders do not have a great group of offensive tackles, and Landry was the biggest benefactor of the frequent blitzes. It will be interesting to see how he follows it up against the Dolphins.
HAROLD LANDRY MONSTER.
📺: CBS pic.twitter.com/J4C44FFx5n
— New England Patriots (@Patriots) September 7, 2025
In this new NFL era, with an emphasis on offense, is it still possible to win a Super Bowl with a defensive head coach? The last six Super Bowl-winning coaches had offensive backgrounds. The last defensive coach to win was Bill Belichick in 2018. — Tim V.
A few years ago, I would’ve said you can’t win big in the NFL without an offensive coach. The league has shifted so much to that side of the ball that you’re at a disadvantage without an offensive coach, especially since good coordinators tend to quickly get hired elsewhere as head coaches.
But a culture-setting kind of head coach can win if he’s paired with the right offensive coordinator. Take Dan Campbell with Ben Johnson. There’s no reason they couldn’t win a Super Bowl this season if they were still together. Or a coach like Mike Tomlin if he were paired with the right offensive coordinator.
So, two things can be true. The best situation is when you have an offensive head coach who is a great game planner and play caller. But you can still win with a culture-focused head coach if you have a strong offensive coordinator.
(Photo of Drake Maye and Rhamondre Stevenson: Brian Fluharty / Imagn Images)
