Patriots vs Raiders Week 5 preview shown as an empty football field under stadium lights

Patriots vs Raiders Week 5: Injuries, Weather, Keys

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Patriots vs. Raiders kicks off at 1 p.m. ET on Sunday, Oct. 11, 2026, at Gillette Stadium, with New England (2-2) looking to build on a 29-26 win over the Buffalo Bills and Las Vegas (3-1) arriving as one of the league’s most opportunistic defenses. Coach Mike Vrabel said this week the Raiders “hunt the football and they forced 10 fumbles.”

Patriots vs. Raiders: Week 5 Preview

New England’s Week 4 victory was its second of the season after a 13-10 season-opening loss to Seattle, per the Patriots’ official content. Drake Maye completed 22 of 37 passes for 269 yards and three touchdowns, with one interception and a lost fumble, and ran for 54 yards, according to ESPN’s recap. He was named AFC Offensive Player of the Week, NESN reported. Romeo Doubs caught two touchdowns, and rookie Efton Chism made a one-handed 23-yard go-ahead catch with 1:50 left before Craig Woodson intercepted Josh Allen on Buffalo’s last drive.

Patriots Injury Report for the Raiders Game

Cornerback Christian Gonzalez is out with a shoulder injury for Sunday, according to the Patriots’ Week 5 injury report. Maye appears on the report with a right-shoulder designation but carries no game status. The Globe noted that the team’s injury list has grown long, with cornerback Carlton Davis among the other names mentioned; check the team’s final report on Saturday and Sunday for updates. We tracked an earlier wave of absences in our Patriots injured-reserve report.

On the Las Vegas side, the Raiders’ injury report lists three players out and running back Ashton Jeanty as questionable, per Raiders.com.

What the Raiders Bring

The Raiders are 3-1 under first-year coach Klint Kubiak, the Boston Globe noted, though its wins have come against Miami, the Chargers and New Orleans, teams that are a combined 1-1 in other games. Vrabel praised quarterback Kirk Cousins for knowing when to take the checkdown, saying Las Vegas turns what would be five-yard gains into 15. He also stressed that his offense must locate pass rusher Maxx Crosby on every snap. The Globe added that New England’s offensive line allowed 21 pressures on Maye against Buffalo, and that Las Vegas ranks 27th against the run, allowing 134.5 rushing yards per game.

Gillette Stadium Weather and Kickoff

The Globe’s forecast calls for cloudy, humid conditions in Foxborough, roughly 62 to 63 degrees with light wind and little chance of rain at kickoff, with showers more likely later Sunday.

Patriots Season So Far

New England’s last home game, a 35-6 win over Jacksonville that included several Maye turnovers, is in our Patriots-Jaguars recap. More Boston teams are on our sports page.

The Patriots’ season has been uneven so far. They opened with a 13-10 loss to the Seahawks, a rematch of last season’s Super Bowl, then beat Jacksonville 35-6 and Buffalo 29-26 to reach 2-2. The Buffalo win was framed by NBC Boston as a season-defining result because it came against a Bills team that had not yet lost. The Raiders, by contrast, arrive at 3-1.

Several matchups are worth tracking. The first is New England’s offensive line against Crosby, the Raiders’ relentless pass rusher. The second is the run game: the Globe singled out running back TreVeyon Henderson as a player to watch, noting that his short-yardage carries on second down have so far produced negative yardage. The third is the secondary without Gonzalez, who missed the Buffalo game as well and is out again, which puts more weight on the depth behind him.

Key to the game: protect the football. Vrabel’s own scouting report points to turnovers as the swing factor, and a sloppy afternoon against a ball-hawking defense is the easiest way to give back the momentum from Buffalo.

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