Disastrous last play sums up day of mistakes by Patriots

With the game tied, New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson gained 23 yards on the final play before pitching the ball to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who then backtracked before heaving it toward quarterback Mac Jones. Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones snagged the ball, stiff-armed Mac Jones and raced 48 yards for the walk-off win.

Associated Press

Dec 19, 2022, 3:01 PM

Updated 585 days ago

Share:

Disastrous last play sums up day of mistakes by Patriots
New England coach Bill Belichick uttered the same word 10 times during a postgame press conference that lasted a little more than four minutes.
“Mistake.”
It summed up the Patriots’ 30-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday, with by far the biggest miscue coming on the final play of the game.
After falling behind 17-3 at halftime, the Patriots scored 21 unanswered points to take a 24-17 lead with less than four minutes remaining.
But Las Vegas — which came in 0-4 when leading by double digits at halftime, the first team since at least 1930 to lose four times in a season when leading by double digits at the half — answered with a pair of touchdowns in the final 37 seconds.
“Collectively made too many mistakes and gave up some big plays that were obviously the difference in the game,” Belichick said.
One mistake in particular handed the Raiders the win and knocked the Patriots (7-7) out of playoff position in the AFC.
With the game tied, New England running back Rhamondre Stevenson gained 23 yards on the final play before pitching the ball to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers, who then backtracked before heaving it toward quarterback Mac Jones. Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones snagged the ball, stiff-armed Mac Jones and raced 48 yards for the walk-off win.
“Obviously we made a mistake on it,” Belichick added. “Made a mistake on the play.”
Both Stevenson and Meyers took responsibility, with each saying it was their job to take a knee and send the game to overtime.
“The play call was just a draw play — nothing more, nothing less than that,” Stevenson said. “I’m supposed to know the situation. I’m supposed to know how much time is on the clock in critical situations and I failed to do that today.”
Stevenson said the play started with him, and had he never pitched the ball to Meyers, the ensuing touchdown would have never taken place.
Meyers said he was the one trying to be a hero by extending the play.
“That ain’t his fault. He gave me the ball, I got to be smart with it,” Meyers said. “I thought I saw Mac open. I didn’t see Chandler Jones at the time. Just thought he was open, tried to get it to him, then let him try to make a play with it. But the score was tied, so like I said, I should have just laid down.”
Belichick pointed to plenty of mistakes earlier in the game.
A bad snap resulted in a blocked punt. A false start led to a New England punt with just over two minutes left. And the Patriots allowed the Raiders to convert a fourth-and-10 on their tying drive.
“Obviously we’ve got to do a better job playing situational football and not make critical mistakes in the game,” Belichick said. “We need to try to eliminate all the mistakes that we made. You just can’t do this in this league. Got to work to eliminate those and continue to play the good football that we play, but we just had too many mistakes and too many bad plays to win. That was obvious.”


More from News 12
1:40
Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

Lithium-ion battery fire blamed for closure of Newburgh tailor shop

1:56
Sun skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

Sun skies and warm temps for Saturday in the Hudson Valley

0:38
Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

Multimillion-dollar transformation on the way for sections of Hudson Valley

0:32
Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

Veteran firefighter who suffered stroke receives warm welcome home

0:17
Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

Yorktown police sergeant celebrates final walkout following 2 decades of service

0:52
Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

Slate Hill family of 5 loses home in afternoon blaze

0:37
2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

2 people charged in Middletown narcotics; firearms bust

1:30
Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

Motorcycle, van crash in Greenburgh causes serious injuries

0:56
News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

News 12 probes mystery cloud traced to Orange County & seen throughout tri-state area

1:02
Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

Hillcrest Fire Department receives 2,000 cans of drinking water, courtesy of Anheuser-Busch

1:37
Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

Storm Watch Team Meteorologist Skyler Harman strikes down lightning myths

2:33
Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

Can swimming become dangerous due to extremely high water surface temperatures?

0:32
NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

NYC officials: Westchester caseworker’s death ruled a homicide

0:40
State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

State, federal lawmakers introduce legislation to shorten funding gap for World Trade Center Health Program

0:34
Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

Ex Frito-Lay employee files defamation lawsuit against PepsiCo claiming he invented ‘Flamin’ Hot Cheetos

0:40
Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

Executive orders still in place preventing Rockland County and Orange County hotels from converting into migrant shelters

0:54
Headlines: Drug ring prison sentence, Newburgh felony charge, uptick in car thefts in Briarcliff Manor

Headlines: Drug ring prison sentence, Newburgh felony charge, uptick in car thefts in Briarcliff Manor

0:20
Man sentence to 10 years in prison for running Orange County drug ring

Man sentence to 10 years in prison for running Orange County drug ring

1:18
Town of Wallkill propose noise ordinances at Orange County fairgrounds

Town of Wallkill propose noise ordinances at Orange County fairgrounds

0:34
Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued

Finger in salad lawsuit against Chop’t discontinued