FOXBORO — In his Tennessee days, Mike Vrabel would walk into the first team meeting of every game week with a promise.
Do these three or four things, he’d tell his players, and victory will be waiting on the other side.
Sometimes, Vrabel’s keys were obvious.
Protect the ball. Protect the quarterback. Prevent explosive plays on defense.
Others were tailored to the Titans’ upcoming opponent, a particular matchup or scheme.
This week, Vrabel has already identified his keys for the Patriots; the battlegrounds he believes will swing Sunday’s season opener against the Raiders one way or another. Offered the chance to reveal them Wednesday, he declined.
“Yes, we have (decided),” Vrabel said, “and no, we won’t (share).”
Let’s take a stab, anyway.
The Raiders are a top-heavy team built to thumb the softest pressure points on Vrabel’s first roster. Las Vegas’ two stars — Maxx Crosby and Brock Bowers — are where the Patriots’ problems start, and where Sunday’s game could end. Neutralizing them will be their toughest and most critical challenges.
While Crosby typically aligns opposite right tackles, the four-time Pro Bowler will see rookie left tackle Will Campbell often enough the Patriots must send help. Over training camp and the preseason, Campbell struggled in pass protection like all rookie offensive linemen do. However, there were few flashes between those losses that gave reason to feel encouraged about the 21-year-old’s chances against one of the most dangerous pass rushers in the NFL.
Danger lurks next to Campbell, too.
Third-round rookie guard Jared Wilson barely held off career journeyman Ben Brown this summer to win the starting job at left guard, a position he hasn’t majored in since 2022. Wilson faced similar issues in during the preseason, when he graded out as one of the worst pass-protecting interior offensive lineman in the league across a teeny-tiny 32-play sample that included one allowed sack and another pressure. Running all day won’t ease their growing pains, and rushing may be completely off the table if the Patriots fall behind early by multiple scores.
So, how will Josh McDaniels problem-solve?
If history is any indicator, McDaniels will dump his bag of tricks to slow Crosby and help his rookie offensive linemen: double-teams, chips by tight ends and running backs, misdirection, screens, etc. Thankfully, the Raiders are more or less void of defensive talent around Crosby, which should allow Drake Maye to pick from a wide menu of favorable receiving matchups. Las Vegas also allowed the seventh-most points in the NFL last year and ranked dead last in pass coverage, per PFF.
New England Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson (38) carries the ball during the second half of an NFL game between the Patriots and Las Vegas Raiders, Sunday, Dec. 18, 2022, in Las Vegas. (AP Photo/John Locher)
Still, a player like Crosby threatens to single-handedly upend every game and will test Campbell and McDaniels like few other players on the Patriots’ schedule. Whether none, one or both of them pass that test will offer a good harbinger of what’s to come from this offense, which should be dogged by iffy pass protection all season long.
As for Bowers, he is fast encroaching on NFL history. He’s already banked the greatest statistical season by a rookie tight end, catching 112 passes for 1,197 yards last year. Bowers will be the Raiders’ go-to target for the foreseeable future, and with few threats around him — old friend Jakobi Meyers is the Raiders’ best wideout — he should be the focal point of Vrabel’s defensive game plan.
Part of the Patriots’ preparation included the curious release of one of their best safeties, Jabrill Peppers, late last week. Peppers’ exit left unheralded Jaylinn Hawkins and fourth-round rookie Craig Woodson entrenched as the Patriots’ new starters in a brand new scheme and the first line of defense against Bowers. Woodson arrived in New England as one of the smartest and most experienced prospects in the draft, but he never crossed paths with a talent like Bowers over his five years at Cal.
And he knows it.
“Brock can do everything,” Woodson said. “You know, they align them everywhere. They do everything with them, so everybody’s got to bring their ‘A’ game.’ ”
Of course, no team plays its best in Week 1. Every season opener features some slop and engenders more questions. But this much is clear: without Christian Gonzalez, the Raiders will field the two best players Sunday in Foxboro and probably boast the better quarterback. Usually, that’s enough to win in the NFL.
But if Vrabel’s Patriots are to become the type of team they want to be — one that out-smarts, out-works and out-toughs its opponents — they’ll win anyway. They’ll make a habit of winning games like Sunday’s, toss-ups with obvious talent disadvantages. And they’ll hit their keys often enough to unlock more than just victory
Try a new identity, and a message sent to the rest of the league.