The Patriots suffered one of the most stunning losses in recent NFL history on Sunday against the Raiders.
With the game tied at 24, New England had the ball with about 10 seconds left in regulation time, apparently destined for overtime. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson took a third and 10th run in midfield, then decided to bring it in laterally to Jakobi Meyers. He then lateralized it towards Mac Jones, but the ball was grabbed by Raiders passing thrower Chandler Jones who took it 48 yards from home for the game-winning touchdown in downright shocking fashion.
Considering the game was tied and the Patriots weren’t hanging around, you might be wondering why the hell they would even go for a fullback in this situation, because it puts what ultimately happened on the table. If they had just run the ball and bled the clock, they would have lived to fight another one in overtime.
So, was this Bill Belichick getting too cute telling his players to try last-second magic, or were these players independent? By the sound of things, it seems to be the latter.
“The coaches gave us a game just to run the time out a bit, just get off,” Stevenson told reporters after the game, via NESN. “There were only a few seconds left. So, I feel like I should have just done that and gone down.”
He added: “The play call was just a draw, nothing more, nothing less than that. I’m supposed to know the situation. I’m supposed to know how much time is left on the clock and the situations reviews. And I didn’t manage to do it today, so that’s what it is.”
For his part, Meyers also said he was “just trying to do too much and try to be a hero.”
“The game started with me with the ball,” Stevenson said. “If I hadn’t answered him, Jakobi wouldn’t have had the chance to do so. So, I take full responsibility for that, for the game. I just have to know the situation. I just have to know what happens in the game.”
Not only was this loss a blow by the way it ended, but it also seriously dented New England’s playoff hopes. Going into Week 15, the Patriots clung to the last AFC playoff spot as the No. 7 seed. With that loss as well as the Chargers’ win over Tennessee, the Patriots are now moved up to the No. 8 seed and are outside for the playoffs with three weeks left in the regular season.