It was raining dimes with Drake Maye under center in the New England Patriots’ 45-17 blowout win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The third-year quarterback continued his red-hot streak from last week’s upset win over the Buffalo Bills against a Raiders team that looked outmatched from the start. And that’s saying a lot considering the Patriots were missing multiple starters for the game.
On the defensive side of the ball alone, the Patriots were missing four of their top cornerbacks, including Christian Gonzalez, Carlton Davis III, Karon Prunty and Channing Canada. That created an opportunity for many of the reserve options on the roster to step up, and they did exactly that en route to a second straight win for the team.
Here are the studs and duds from the Patriots’ Week 5 win:
STUD: QB Drake Maye
Patriots quarterback Drake Maye had one of the best performances of his NFL career. He accounted for five scores, including a rushing touchdown, on a day when he went 26-of-34 passing for 374 yards and four touchdowns. Perhaps the best stat was the fact that he didn’t turn the ball over at all in the game. It was a clean performance that was reminiscent of the MVP-caliber play that we saw from him last season.
STUD: EDGE Elijah Ponder
In a year where injuries have seemingly crippled the Patriots on the edge, second-year outside linebacker Elijah Ponder appears to be on the verge of a breakout season. He added two more sacks to the 2.5 sacks that he entered Sunday’s game with through four games. His ability to heat up the pocket for Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins was huge on a day when the Patriots’ secondary was compromised with injuries.
STUD: WR Kyle Williams
With A.J. Brown and Mack Hollins both sidelined, Patriots second-year wide receiver Kyle Williams took on the challenge of emerging as Maye’s top deep threat target on Sunday. Fans have been waiting for a breakout performance from Williams, and they finally got it with three catches for 91 yards and a touchdown. Williams’ biggest play was a 49-yard reception that put the Patriots in scoring position late in the third quarter.
STUD: CB Kindle Vildor
The Patriots were down four cornerbacks entering Sunday’s game, and Kindle Vildor was one of the players called on to step up in their absence.
And he didn’t disappoint.
A day after being elevated from the practice squad, Vildor impressed in the defensive backfield with four tackles, one pass deflection and one forced fumble. His lone pass deflection came on the sideline when defending Raiders star tight end Brock Bowers. It was a scrappy effort from an underrated player who had a strong training camp with the Patriots this summer.
STUD: Offensive line
The Patriots’ offensive line was dominant from the start. Just ask Maye after the game.
“In the first touchdown to Pop [Douglas], I’m back there, credit to the offensive line, eating a ham sandwich. I got all day back there,” Maye said at the postgame press conference.
Keep in mind that the unit was playing with its third-best option at right tackle, and it lost its starting left tackle, Will Campbell, early in the game. With rookie Caleb Lomu at left tackle and reserve option Ben Brown at right guard, the unit kept a clean pocket for Maye to operate in for most of the day. It was an incredible team effort against a Raiders defense that had star edge rusher Maxx Crosby lurking on every play.
STUD: WR DeMario Douglas
Patriots wide receiver DeMario Douglas was second in receiving on the day with four catches for 65 yards and two touchdowns. His underrated ability to get open was on full display against the Raiders’ defense. He was wide open on both touchdown receptions, including one that went for 35 yards.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Studs and duds for Patriots in lopsided 45-17 win over Raiders