With three seconds to go in regulation on Sunday, with the score tied at 24 between the Patriots and the Raiders, New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson took a handoff on a draw play that seemed destined to take the game to overtime.
Stevenson broke a tackle and entered Las Vegas territory, but before being tackled he pitched the ball back to receiver Jakobi Meyers on a lateral. All of a sudden, the Patriots looked as if they were trying to pull off a miracle play to win the game in regulation rather than take the game to overtime.
Meyers took the ball and tried to throw it back across the field to quarterback Mac Jones. Instead, the ball was snagged by ex-Patriot Chandler Jones, who ran over Mac Jones and took it to the house to win the game for Las Vegas in stunning fashion, 30–24.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick was asked about the play after the game, and as always, played it coy.
“The play didn’t work,” Belichick said. “Made a mistake on that play … we’ve talked about situational football. We’ve talked about it every week. But obviously, we gotta do a better job.”
When further pressed on the play and the loss itself, Belichick continued harping on mistakes.
“We need to try to eliminate all the mistakes we made. All of us.”
The Patriots fell to 7–7 on the season and out of a wild-card spot with the loss. As New England looks back on their playoff positioning (or lack thereof) at season’s end, the team very well may be kicking itself for the inexplicable decision-making on the final play that cost them the ball game.
