By: Declan Flavin | Follow me on Twitter / X @FlavinDeclan
The 2025-26 NFL season has finally arrived for the New England Patriots, a team that needs to start on the right foot. The front office has reevaluated its approach to talent, the coaching staff has been reshaped to establish a clear culture, and both familiar and new players appear focused on the collective goal.
In any new beginning, early-season wins matter more than they do for NFL cultures already established. They can provide critical first impressions from players while building confidence in the team’s ability to sustain production. In their first game plan against the Las Vegas Raiders, the focus will be on how the defense handles tight end Brock Bowers and running back Ashton Jeanty, running back TreVeyon Henderson’s role in the passing game, and the offense’s ability to protect the football late.
1) Defending Bowers versus Jeanty
Will the defensive plan be to take Bowers out of the game or Jeanty? For Bowers, the chance is clear with a shorthanded wide receiver group that lists former Patriot Jakobi Meyers as its primary option on the depth chart. For Jeanty, the path is less certain against a bolstered defensive line, but it’s still there if the Patriots don’t respect him early and he breaks a few runs. With top cornerback Christian Gonzalez sidelined, the defense will have to compensate. Expect the approach to center on taking Bowers out of the game with cornerback Carlton Davis and additional help, forcing Jeanty’s inexperience to beat them.
2) Using Henderson in the Passing Game
With running back Rhamondre Stevenson generating little noise in the offseason and Henderson set to debut, this feels like an opening game tailor-made for a rookie breakout. To be clear, Stevenson is an established talent, bringing strength and surprising burst for his size, and he trimmed additional weight over the offseason. However, Henderson has displayed surprising explosiveness for a back who was mostly advertised as a complementary piece because of his versatility. As CLNS Media’s Taylor Kyles points out above, Pete Carroll’s defensive tendencies leave his units vulnerable to running backs and tight ends in the passing game. Expect Henderson to be leaned on in the passing game, building his confidence and setting him up for additional carries.
3) Protecting the Football Late
For a team with a retooled coaching staff and a reset culture, avoiding losses caused by ball security is critical. When you lose the ball on a game-defining drive, the immediate and long-term impacts can be catastrophic for a team still working to build full trust in its culture. Most of the team walks off the field knowing it controlled what it needed to, only to see the day end in a negative result. They return to the practice field in the weeks that follow, repeating the same routine while subconsciously carrying what happened before. This dynamic isn’t one to predict, as head coach Mike Vrabel would attest, but it should be anticipated and prioritized late in the game.
The first four weeks of the season for a restarting team mirror the last four for any consistent playoff contender, in that they define what the team is about. With the team facing similarly average opponents in this stretch, the opportunity going forward is abundant.
Once this experienced coaching staff helps players see results on the field, the desired ceiling becomes possible. Playing games in January can become routine again. Does that sound good to people across New England?
Flavin Media 
Leave a comment