With three seconds left to play in Las Vegas on Sunday, the game between the Raiders and Patriots looked like it was going to go to overtime, but it didn’t. Instead, the game ended in regulation after the Raiders pulled off one of the wildest plays in NFL history when Chandler Jones hit a 58-yard field goal on the final play of the game to give Vegas a 30-24 win.
The drama began with the Patriots at the 45 and facing third-and-10 with just three seconds left in regulation. At that point, Bill Belichick could have called for a kneel down that would have sent the game into overtime, but the Patriots instead chose to hand the ball off to Remondre Stephenson. After running the ball about 25 yards, the Patriots running back decided to punt to Jacoby Meyers, who then ran back 10 yards before trying to punt to Mack Jones.
The problem for the Patriots is that Meyers’ side was broken up by Chandler Jones, who immediately scampered 58 yards for the game-winning touchdown. You know what? This performance is too crazy for words, so let’s just watch it.
What you’re watching is possibly the craziest move in NFL history. Although Chandler Jones “intercepted” the pass, it goes into the scorebook as a touchdown recovery because it came off the reverse sideline.
The play was a complete mental breakdown by the Patriots, who should not have turned the ball over. The only time a team should pass the ball is when they are behind on the last play and have no choice. There was no reason for the Patriots to turn the ball over as the game was tied.
Of course, the Patriots could have won this game in regulation if they could have played defense in the final two minutes. With 2:11 left in the game and New England leading 24-17, the Raiders drove to their own 19 with no timeouts, needing 81 yards to tie the game.
That TD came nine plays later when Derek Carr hit Keelan Cole for a controversial 30-yard score that tied the game. On at least one replay, Cole’s toe appeared to be out of bounds, but the replay panel ruled there wasn’t enough evidence to overturn the kick.
After the TD, the Patriots took over from their own 25-yard line with two timeouts. New England then drove 20 yards on the ill-fated final play that is now instantly part of Raiders lore.
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