The Las Vegas Raiders set the tone right from the beginning.

On their first play from scrimmage in Week 1, tight end Brock Bowers found a soft spot in the New England Patriots’ zone coverage and quarterback Geno Smith hit him for a gain of 23 yards. Just five plays later, Smith and wide receiver Tre Tucker gave the visitors the lead when they connected on a 26-yard touchdown.

The Raiders hitting big plays like these remained a constant throughout the day. And while explosives alone do not decide NFL games, they did help tip the scales in Las Vegas’ favor on Sunday.

“We gave up too many explosives,” said Patriots safety Jaylinn Hawkins after the contest. “That was the biggest thing, eliminating the X-plays. I tip my hat off to those boys, they did their thing, and we’ve just got to elimi

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