The Patriots have been preparing for their season opener against the Raiders on Sunday, a matchup that has them currently favored to walk out with the win for the first time in over a year. They were the consistent underdogs throughout the 2024 season, but the Mike Vrabel effect has already improved their odds of adding more wins than they did over the last two years.
The game against the Raiders, however, is not expected to be a cake walk. The return of Pete Carroll as an NFL head coach, along with quarterback Geno Smith has put their team more on the radar than they have in recent history, with a dominant defense to put them over the top.