Raiders Rewind: Las Vegas Beats New England With One Of The Craziest Endings You’ll Ever See

Chandler Jones, Raiders

Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones (55) celebrates after the game against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

LOL. SMH. ROFL.

Sometimes only acronyms seem to fit the moment, and when the clock hit zero in the Las Vegas Raiders’ game against the New England Patriots on Sunday, it felt like one of those moments.

As I’m sure you know by now, the Raiders’ 30-24 win was clinched on the final play (their third win of the season on the final play) when New England receiver Jakobi Meyers decided that instead of falling down and sending the game into overtime he was going to try and be a hero. That, of course, meant lateraling the ball 15 yards backward — right into the hands of Chandler Jones — who needed only to stiff-arm quarterback Mac Jones before running 48 yards for the touchdown.

All he (or running back Rhamondre Stevenson, who pitched the ball to Meyers in the first place) needed to do was fall down or run out of bounds and live to fight another day.

WTF?!

The truth is, the bone-headed play from Meyers will mask in the minds of many what was almost another disastrous day for the Raiders. Leading 17-3 at halftime (their fifth 10+ point halftime lead of the season), the Raiders trailed 24-17 with 44 seconds left on the clock and were on the verge of yet another epic meltdown.

Then, quarterback Derek Carr — who wasn’t at his best for most of the afternoon — threw his best pass of the game, finding Keelan Cole in the end zone from 30 yards out for the game-tying touchdown. (Of course, whether Cole was actually in is debatable, but the refs determined that there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the call on the field).

Regardless of how they got there, the end result was a win over the Patriots — a totally competent (normally) opponent — moving the Raiders to 6-8 on the season and technically keeping their playoff hopes alive.

Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) warms up before a game against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Offensive Headline: Missing Persons Report – Raiders Offense

Josh Jacobs finished with 110 total yards, and Derek Carr threw for three touchdowns, but the truth is this was a disappointing day for the Raiders offense.

After scoring 10 points on their first three drives, they scored just seven points on their next eight drives — and that touchdown came after a blocked punt was recovered in the red zone. The seven non-scoring drives: three-and-out, pick six, six-and-out, three-and-out, six-and-out, three-and-out, three-and-out.

For an offense with Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow back (even in a limited capacity), that’s unacceptable — regardless of how good the defense is on the other side of the ball. And the truth is, seeing that series of drives spelled out like that feels accurate. For much of the day, the offense was disjointed and seemingly out-of-rhythm despite their good start.

Yes, the offensive line was a mess — especially after losing left guard Dylan Parham to injury — but it never felt like the Raiders ever adjusted to anything. When the pressure started ramping up, there were no quick routes or screen passes — just more runs right up the middle and long-developing routes.

Ultimately, the offense came up huge when they needed to — mounting a nine-play, 81-yard touchdown in the final two minutes, including a fourth-and-10 from their own 19 — but Sunday was proof there is still work to be done.

Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones (55) stiff-arms New England Patriots quarterback Mac Jones (10) on the way to scoring a touchdown at the end of the second half at Allegiant Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Stephen R. Sylvanie-USA TODAY Sports

Defensive Headline: “Merry Christmas” – sincerely, Mac Jones

Running back Rhamondre Stevenson finished the game with 172 yards and a touchdown on 19 carries, but the Patriots’ anemic offense was held back by Jones, whose presence was the difference maker.

Jones finished 13/31 for 112 yards, good for a QBR of 12.2 — missing open receivers in big spots and failing to string together enough throws to make a real dent in a Raiders defense that entered the game dead last in pass defense DVOA. Yikes!

This didn’t help his cause either:

Merry Christmas, Raiders.

Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; Las Vegas Raiders coach Josh McDaniels (left) and defensive end Chandler Jones (55) embrace at the end of the game against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Player of the Game: Chandler Jones

It wasn’t an amazing game for Jones, but he made the play (and stiff-arm) when he needed to — so in a crop of pretty uninspiring options, Jones gets the nod. He finished with two tackles, two passes deflected, two QB hits and a touchdown.

Honorable mention goes to some other guys on the Raiders defense: Luke Masterson and Denzel Perryman combined for 20 tackles, while Maxx Crosby finished with three QB hits and five tackles himself.

Dec 18, 2022; Paradise, Nevada, USA; A Las Vegas Raiders fan Andy Coronado poses during the game against the New England Patriots at Allegiant Stadium. The Raiders defeated the Patriots 30-24. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Odds and Ends

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