The Patriots’ last-second loss to the Raiders taught us several lessons.
The Patriots-Raiders game was headed to OT, but New England’s final play stopped it in the dying seconds.
The Patriots fell into a 14-point first-half hole but rallied to briefly grab the lead. The defence conceded a late game-tying score, and the offence bungled the last play with Chandler Jones taking an ill-fated lateral to the house for the most surprising game-ending since the Miami Miracle in 2018.
Raiders’ 30-24 win ended the Patriots’ postseason hopes.
A blocked punt just before halftime loomed enormous, as Patriots miscues built up and translated to the scoreboard.
Even with Kyle Dugger’s pick-six and many defensive stops, the Patriots couldn’t generate enough of an offensive effort to overcome their blunders and Vegas’s lethal weaponry. Rhamondre Stevenson ran well and the Patriots’ banged-up secondary held Davante Adams in check.
The Patriots are 7-7 with three games left. Here’s what happened and what we learned.
Mistakes and penalties lower the score.
The Raiders took the opening kickoff on a long drive but stalled due to two self-inflicted penalties, a delay of game call and an ineligible receiver downfield, ending the promising drive with a field goal that started the scoring.
Mac Jones’ third-down pass to Tyquan Thornton kept the Patriots’ second drive alive after an earlier four-and-out. Too often this season, the Patriots attack petered out in the end zone. From the 2-yard line, they settled for a 24-yard field goal.
Mac Jones snapped the ball for a QB sneak before Jonnu Smith was set, resulting in a false start penalty that backed them up five yards and eliminated going for it. A timeout cancelled a Jakobi Meyers touchdown. Patriots red zone miscommunication and sloppiness persisted.
Darren Waller made his return felt in the second quarter, bursting free from Adrian Phillips for a 25-yard score to put Vegas ahead 10-3.
The Patriots defence, without Jack Jones and Jalen Mills, kept the Raiders onslaught in front of them, but a few key plays proved the difference. Marcus Jones intercepted a deep pass to Davante Adams early in the game.
Jones, Myles Bryant, and Jonathan Jones battled Raiders receivers. This Waller touchdown was their only big play.
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