It was a week that started with a 29-26 upset win in Buffalo and ended with the Patriots ruling out six players, including both starting outside cornerbacks, for Sunday's game against the 3-1 Raiders. In between, Drake Maye was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, made national news with a moon-landing comment on WEEI, and watched undrafted receiver Efton Chism become a household name. Here are WEEI's most-watched Patriots videos of the week, followed by a preview of Raiders at Patriots, Sunday at 1 p.m. on CBS.
The win in Buffalo
The Patriots beat the Bills 29-26 on the road to get back to 2-2, and the reaction ran all week on WEEI. Mike Vrabel joined the Greg Hill Show live from Gillette Stadium on Monday morning to talk about what was different for Drake Maye, and Boomer Esiason told the Greg Hill Show he liked Vrabel's aggressive coaching and that Maye looked much more composed.
Maye's big week, and the moon
Maye was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, and he joined Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson for Patriots Monday. Asked which conspiracy theory he believes, he said he was skeptical of the moon landing, and the comment made national news. On Wednesday, Maye said the offense is "just kind of starting up the mountain."
Chism's breakout
Efton Chism's catch in Buffalo became the story of the week after Bills safety C.J. Gardner-Johnson's postgame comments. Vrabel said, "Nobody works harder," Maye called Chism fearless, and Tom E. Curran told Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson he doesn't see Chism as the next Julian Edelman but has a better comp among clutch Patriots receivers.
Injuries pile up
Christian Gonzalez missed every practice this week, Mack Hollins is hurt, and A.J. Brown isn't eligible to come off injured reserve until Week 6. Vrabel addressed Brown's eligibility on Wednesday, and Jones & Keefe asked whether Brown and Gonzalez are close to returning.
Sizing up the Raiders
Las Vegas comes in 3-1 under Klint Kubiak, but Rich Keefe called the Raiders a "fake good team" that won't be playing in January, and Jones & Keefe made the case that the Patriots should beat them.
The 2001 team
The Patriots honor the 2001 Super Bowl team before Sunday's game, and Adam Vinatieri gets his Hall of Fame ring at halftime. Ted Johnson, who played on that team, told Rich & Ken w/ Ted Johnson he hasn't kept in touch with a lot of the players but sang the praises of one former teammate, in WEEI's most-watched Patriots video of the week.
Preview: Raiders at Patriots
Sunday, Oct. 11, 1 p.m., Gillette Stadium, CBS (Kevin Harlan, Trent Green and Melanie Collins). The Raiders are 3-1 and the Patriots are 2-2. The Patriots are 3.5-point favorites, and the total is 45.5.
Injuries: On Friday's final injury report, the Patriots ruled out cornerbacks Christian Gonzalez (shoulder), Carlton Davis (neck), Karon Prunty (hamstring) and Channing Canada (hamstring), receiver Mack Hollins (calf) and fullback Reggie Gilliam (ankle/knee). Christian Barmore (shoulder), Christian Elliss (chest), Dre'Mont Jones (shoulder), Morgan Moses (foot), Rhamondre Stevenson (knee), Charles Woods (shoulder) and Craig Woodson (shoulder) are questionable. Drake Maye (right shoulder) was a full participant all week. For Las Vegas, receivers Jalen Nailor (concussion) and Dont'e Thornton (hamstring) and guard Trey Zuhn (knee) are out, and running back Ashton Jeanty (ankle/foot) is questionable after missing Friday's practice. Brock Bowers (knee) was a full participant and has no game status.
WEEI Football Sunday live at Patriot Place
Before kickoff, WEEI is live from Patriot Place. WEEI Football Sunday runs from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday at Six String Grill & Stage, with Ted Johnson, Meghan Ottolini, Chris Scheim and Christian Arcand getting fans ready for Raiders at Patriots. Come hang out at Six String before the game, or listen on WEEI and the Audacy app.
Keys: Turnovers top the list. The Raiders lead the NFL with 9 takeaways and are plus-3 in turnover margin, while the Patriots are minus-5 and Maye has thrown 7 interceptions. Las Vegas scores 28.8 points a game and Kirk Cousins is tied for the league lead with 11 touchdown passes, so a secondary without Gonzalez and Davis faces a big test, especially against Bowers. On the other side, the Raiders run for just 3.1 yards a carry, last in the league, while the Patriots run for 117.8 yards a game.
