The Las Vegas Raiders had a 17-3 lead at halftime and were looking to get their first win with a 10-point lead after intermission against the New England Patriots on Sunday.
For 29 of the first 30 minutes in the second half, it was looking like Las Vegas was going to lose its fifth game of the season despite having a double-digit lead as the New England stormed back with 21 unanswered points to take its first lead of the game early in the fourth quarter.
But, quarterback Derek Carr, who completed 20 of his 38 passes for 238 yards, three touchdowns and an interception, would go on one of his signature fourth quarter drives to tie the game at 24 on a 30-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Keelan Cole with 32 seconds left.
Then, it was the defense’s turn.
Week 15 had already seen some wild endings to games over the last four days and that narrative continued inside Allegiant Stadium.
The Patriots, who were at their own 45-yard line with 10 seconds left, decided to hand the ball off to running back Rhamondre Stevenson for 23 yards. With the clock already at triple zeros, Stevenson lateraled the football to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers who ran backwards.
Meyers then tried to find a teammate and chucked the ball, back to about five yards ahead of the line of scrimmage.
However, the pigskin would land into the arms of Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones and after stiff arming Patriots quarterback Mac Jones, he ran it into the end zone to cap off a crazy 30-24 victory to keep the Las Vegas’ playoff hopes still alive.
Here are 4 winners and losers from Sunday’s matinee.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders schedule and game-by-game predictions
Loser: Jakobi Meyers, the Patriots’ playoff hopes
The Patriots on the final play ran themselves out of the game. Either Stevenson or Meyers had the opportunity to go down or put the ball out of bounds to go to overtime with the game, at that point, tied at 24.
Both Stevenson and Meyers were in position to go down but had the impression to end the game at the conclusion of regulation.
It was like the Patriots felt they did not know the score and thought they were trailing.
As a result, New England falls back to 7-7 and are now on the outside of the playoff picture with the Los Angeles Chargers getting a victory over Tennessee to jump into the postseason standings.
Related: Las Vegas Raiders standing in Sportsnaut’s NFL power rankings
Winner: Complimentary football benefits Las Vegas Raiders
With the Raiders having to learn to head coach Josh McDaniels’ new scheme this season, the team understands that they have to make plays that they are going to benefit from, especially on defense and special teams.
Las Vegas did just that with less than a minute remaining in the second quarter and New England in punt formation.
Raiders defensive end Malcolm Koonce came through by blocking the punt, which set the offense up deep in Patriot territory with only 20 seconds to spare.
After finding wide receiver Mack Hollins for 10 yards on first down, Carr went back to him two plays later on first-and-goal from five yards out with four seconds left to give the Raiders a two-score lead.
That blocked punt by Koonce was a pivotal play that gave Las Vegas the momentum it needed to, going into the break. In addition, it turns out that play was a big part to the eventual outcome.
Related: Sportsnaut’s NFL Playoff and Super Bowl predictions
Loser: Las Vegas Raiders penalized a season-high 13 times
There is no such thing as a perfect football game and this one was no different.
That’s why the Raiders’ slogan from their longtime owner Al Davis is “Just win, baby!” The outcome of the game is not completely based on how a team gets there and the Silver and Black did just that.
Las Vegas became the second team this season to have 13 penalties in a game as it pushed them back in all three phases for a total of 90 yards. Yet, this team still found a way a win.
However, McDaniels said his team had the opportunity to be more productive without the flags going against them.
“They’re unforced errors and we like to pride ourselves to not beat ourselves,” Las Vegas Raiders head coach Josh McDaniels said after the game. “We certainly put ourselves in a lot of holes today with a handful of offensive penalties and then some special teams penalties.”
Winner: Darren Waller and Hunter Renfrow return to pace offense
Over the last month without tight end Darren Waller and wide receiver Hunter Renfrow, Carr has had to solely rely on his top option, Davante Adams.
With the duo making their return, Carr was able to balance out the passing attack as Adams and Hollins had four receptions to stabilize the team.
Although Carr completed just 20 passes, he was able to find his receivers and record three passing touchdowns for the second time this season.
In addition to Hollins’ touchdown before the half and Cole at the end of the game, Carr found Waller for a 25-yard score down the seam to give the Raiders a 10-3 lead with 5:18 left in the second quarter.
Waller and Renfrow had been out on injured reserve as both were given the time to fully recover from hamstring injuries.
Carr said having them both back was a breath of fresh air, not only for him but for the 62,273 in attendance for the game.
“They were rotated in to be kept fresh,” Carr said after the game. “You saw them in there when it mattered and we needed them big time. To have them back was nice.
I think everyone likes seeing Darren run down the middle of the field again. How tall he is, how fast he is, seeing him get in the end zone again, it was good for Raider fans.”
In total, Waller recorded three catches for 48 and a touchdown while Renfrow caught one ball for 14 yards. Both players had three targets, respectively.