Everyone needs a little Las Vegas in their life and lucky for the New England Patriots, they take two trips out to the desert this season; once in the preseason and then again in the regular season.
Prior to the Patriots final preseason game on Friday night, they had the chance to compete against the Raiders in joint practices. The question going into the pair of practices was how the Patriots cornerbacks were going to perform going up against arguably the best wide receiver in the league, Davante Adams.
While the first day of joint practices was highlighted by the Raiders' star studded receivers, day two the Patriots made adjustments and one more one-on-one battle against Adams.
"It's a challenge, man. He's one of the best, if not the best in this league," said Jalen Mills after two days of competing against Adams.
On the other side of the ball, the installation of the Patriots offense remains the main topic of conversation but they showed improvement as training camp comes to a close. The offense had slow starts in both joint practices with the Raiders but concluded both days with impressive performances in the red zone.
"You can be having the worst day ever and you can be down…but in a real game if it's 10-10 and you go down and score or kick a field goal to win then nothing matters before that," said Mac Jones.
Now let's talk about the Las Vegas Raiders who are led by a familiar face in Josh McDaniels and also feature a lot of former New England Patriots. I connected with the team's digital reporter, Levi Edwards, to pick his brain on the first year head coach and how the team looks going into the final preseason game.
"Playing against a fresh group of guys really showed me how great this Raiders offense can truly be. The receiving core showed they have established chemistry with Derek Carr and are starting to really pick up on Josh McDaniels' new offense," said Edwards.
McDaniels praised the work that was put in by both sides and thought it was as much as a real game as you can get with both sides competing hard and working well together.
Edwards also reported that the Raiders are still trying to find the best five to block Derek Carr. Similar to last week with the Carolina Panthers, the invaluable work that the Raiders offensive line was able to get against the Patriots' stout defensive front was another point of emphasis.
"The likes of Matthew Judon and Christian Barmore really challenged them this week, a challenge that they desperately need with Khalil Mack and Joey Bosa around the corner in September," said the Raiders digital reporter.
The Patriots can also walk away at the conclusion of training camp with confidence having faced the speed, size and athleticism of Davante Parker when they also have to face a plethora of impressive receivers down the stretch starting week 1 in Miami against Tyreek Hill.
