Bedard: Surprising Raiders will bring a unique challenge to beat-up Patriots with TE Brock Bowers, DE Maxx Crosby

Key Points:

• The 2001 New England Patriots, who transformed Boston's sports culture, will be honored on Sunday for their 25th anniversary of winning the world championship.
• The Patriots will face the Las Vegas Raiders, a team featuring standout players Brock Bowers and Maxx Crosby, who pose unique challenges on offense and defense.
• Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak utilizes Bowers as a versatile primary offensive weapon, with quarterback Kirk Cousins adjusting plays based on defensive coverage of Bowers, making their passing game complex and difficult to defend.
• The Patriots, led by Mike Vrabel and Josh McDaniels, are expected to focus on limiting Bowers and Crosby's impact, but lack a comparable offensive weapon to Bowers, unlike the Raiders.
• The article highlights how the Raiders' offensive scheme with Bowers resembles past Patriots strategies involving multiple key targets, but notes the Patriots currently do not have a similar player to execute such a system.