Sacked in Sin City: New England Patriots Lose to Las Vegas Raiders on Late Mac Jones Safety
At this point in a catastrophically sideways season, Sunday was "progress" for the New England Patriots.
For the first time in 40 possessions they scored an offensive touchdown. They were competitive. And, despite another hideous interception, quarterback Mac Jones wasn't benched.
Small steps, indeed. The Pats avoided more embarrassment in Allegiant Stadium but they couldn't duck another loss, this one 21-17 to a Las Vegas Raiders team fueled by several familiar faces.
Former offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels improved to 3-0 as a head coach against Bill Belichick. New England's leading receiver in 2021-22 - Jakobi Meyers - scored the Raiders' lone touchdown. And when former Tom Brady backup Jimmy Garoppolo was knocked out of the game with an injury, Las Vegas turned to another ex New England backup in Brian Hoyer.
It was a much improved performance from the consecutive 38-3 and 34-0 losses the last two weeks. And New England even sniffed its second win of the season. Ezekiel Elliott's 2-yard plunge ended a 75-yard drive that finally got the offense into the end zone and made the score 13-10. Hoyer, who spent eight years with the Patriots and begin last season as Jones' backup, led the Raiders on consecutive field-goal drives to make it 19-10 early in the fourth.
A long scoring drive capped by Rhamondre Stevenson's 1-yard touchdown dive pulled the Patriots within 19-17 with 3:30 remaining. After a defensive stop, they got the ball back at their own 8-yard line at the 2:23 mark.
But the possession was a sad microcosm of the season. A holding call on rookie guard Atonio Mafi. A drop of a perfectly thrown long pass by DeVante Parker at the 50. A delay-of-game penalty. And - finally - a sack-and-safety by Raiders end Maxx Crosby, who beat a double-team block of Mike Gesicki and Vederian Lowe to tackle Jones in the end zone with 1:47 remaining.
Maxx Crosby ended Mac Jones and Patriots' hopes with a late sack for a safety.
The Patriots tried a mixture of new tweaks offensively. They played rookie Malik Cunningham at receiver and running back, and welcomed second-year speedster Tyquan Thornton back with a deep pass. But Jones, who was again woefully off-target at times, threw the ball a good five yards wide and out of bounds to lead to an incompletion. Cunningham took a shotgun snap but was sacked for a five-yard loss.
The Patriots fall to 26-31 since Brady left, and have been held under 30 points in 22 consecutive games started by Jones.
Super Bowl LVIII will be played in Allegiant Stadium on Feb. 11. But with their mounting injuries and historically inept offense, safe to say the Patriots won't be coming back to the desert any time soon.
At 1-5 and facing the division-leading Buffalo Bills next week, more and more the date Patriots fans are looking forward to is April 25 and the 2024 NFL Draft in Detroit.
The Patriots trailed 13-3 after another brutally bad first half. In the two previous games they trailed the Dallas Cowboys 28-3 and the New Orleans Saints 21-0 at the break.
After an eight-minute drive gave the Raiders a 3-0 lead, the Pats' offense took the field and instantly imploded. New England was flagged for penalties on its first two offensive plays, Stevenson dropped a pass and then Jones was sacked. Later in the first half, an Elliott 74-yard touchdown catch-and-run was wiped out by a holding penalty on Hunter Henry.
Overwhelmed with Cole Strange inactive, rookies Sidy Sow and Mafi starting at guard and journeyman Lowe at right tackle, the Patriots again went nowhere fast early. In the first quarter they ran six plays without a first down for minus-2 yards and committed four penalties.
They fell behind, 10-0, on Meyers' touchdown catch in the second quarter, but finally scored on Chad Ryland's 43-yard field goal. That score broke ghastly streak of allowing 79 consecutive points since it was 3-3 early against the Cowboys.
The Pats were driving late in the half but a horrendous throw by Jones led to another interception. He threw well behind and literally seven yards over the head an open Henry for an interception at Las Vegas' 12-yard line.
