New England Patriots fans could not believe their eyes when they watched Jakobi Meyers try to lateral the ball on the final play of the game only to have Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones catch it and sprint the other way for the game-winning touchdown.
The call to run the ball by Rhamondre Stevenson was even more surprising by the Patriots’ offense to begin that wacky play, as he ran for 23 yards and pitched it back to Meyers.
With the ball on the Patriots’ 45-yard line, one would expect a Hail Mary from quarterback Mac Jones as a last-ditch effort before overtime, as the score was tied at 24 apiece.
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However, when head coach Bill Belichick was asked post-game why he did not call for the long pass, he threw his quarterback under the bus with his answer.
“Couldn’t throw it that far,” Belichick said, via Mass Live.
The throw from Jones would have been around 55-60 yards to get it into the end zone, and though not every quarterback can have an arm like Patrick Mahomes or Josh Allen, that distance is somewhat expected at the NFL level.
It was a poor way to go out for the Patriots, who battled back from a 17-3 halftime deficit to take the lead 24-17 in the fourth quarter. The Raiders responded with a touchdown on their last offensive drive to tie the game.
The brutal loss was also hurtful to their playoff hopes. After owning a wild card spot heading into the week, New England is back on the outside looking in at 7-7 on the season. The Miami Dolphins, who have lost three straight games, own the final wild card spot with the same record as the team above them, the Los Angeles Chargers, at 8-6.
The Raiders will certainly take it, as they need to win out to have any chance at a playoff berth after making it last year as a wild card team. They lost to the eventual AFC-champion Cincinnati Bengals in the wild card round.
Jones did not have the best game throwing for New England in this one, only completing 13 of his 31 attempts for 112 yards and no touchdowns. The big reason they got back in the game was Stevenson’s 172 yards on 19 carries with a touchdown.
Moving forward, the Patriots have a tough remaining schedule with the Bengals next week followed by the Dolphins and Buffalo Bills to end the season.
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