After a busy offseason and training camp, the Las Vegas Raiders are finally ready to kick off the 2025 season.
The Raiders will begin the regular season on the road, facing the New England Patriots, a franchise with several ties to the Silver and Black. Former head coach Josh McDaniels is now the offensive coordinator for the Patriots, while future Hall of Famer Tom Brady serves as a minority owner for the Raiders.
There is also some player personnel overlap, as Robert Spillane signed a three-year extension with New England in free agency. Spillane was an underrated part of Las Vegas’ defense the past two seasons, and his presence in the middle of the field will be sorely missed.
Ahead of the Week 1 matchup against his former team, Spillane noted how the young offensive weapons will be a good test for the Patriots’ defense via Vegas Sports Today:
“The Raiders are a tough team; they have playmakers all over the field. They have one of the best tight ends, [Brock Bowers], and RB [Ashton Jeanty]. It will be a great challenge for us as a defense.”
On paper, the Raiders offense should be night and day compared to last season, as the team has head coach Pete Carroll running the show, plus a plethora of new faces on that side of the football. The most significant additions were Geno Smith and Ashton Jeanty, who bring more talent to the quarterback and running back positions, respectively. There’s also Brock Bowers, who staked his claim as the next generational tight end in the NFL.
While Las Vegas is better equipped to attack defenses, it’ll still be an uphill battle as New England head coach Mike Vrabel is one of the best at getting the most out of his players. Spillane and company, like the Raiders, have a lot to prove this season, and both teams will be looking to start the 2025 season on a high note.
There are a lot of questions to be answered, and it’ll be interesting to see how the Silver and Black handle their first real game action.
Tom Brady’s comments may have influenced Raiders’ decision not to draft Shedeur Sanders
Tom Brady has insisted that he doesn’t have as much influence on team decisions as some outside of the building think, but fans have begun to speculate that some of his comments about quarterbacks dissuaded the Raiders from drafting Shedeur Sanders.
The post Former Raiders LB Robert Spillane Opens Up About Week 1 Showdown appeared first on Raiders Newswire.