Patriots

Raiders slip past Patriots on wild interception return TD from Chandler Jones

The Patriots lost a heartbreaker as former Patriot Chandler Jones stiff-armed Mac Jones and ran 48-yards for a touchdown on the final play.

December 18, 2022

It took a former Patriots defensive lineman scoring on a wild final play for Josh McDaniels and the Raiders to beat the Patriots Sunday afternoon in Las Vegas.

With the score tied, Rhamondre Stevenson raced forward for a big gain, lateraled to Jakobi Meyers, who attempted to throw the ball back to Mac Jones. Chandler Jones intercepted the pass, stiff-armed Jones, who was the only Patriot between him and the end zone, and ran 48-yards for the score.

Las Vegas prevailed with a 30-24 victory over New England.

Stevenson topped the 100-yard mark, but New England’s inability to throw the ball effectively until the end squandered the performance.

The Patriots were without DeVante Parker, who missed the game with a head injury. They were hard pressed to find anyone else who could get open. Kendrick Bourne and Nelson Agholor combined for 1 catch on 7 targets.

There were also a few missed opportunities with Meyers; a touchdown catch was called back because of a penalty, and an open deep ball was thrown just a touch too far. He did have a 39-yard catch that set up the game-tying touchdown from Stevenson.

It seemed that the Patriots were willing to throw the ball deeper this week, but they simply didn’t execute until it was too late.

Jones finished 13-of-31 with 112 yards with no touchdowns, interceptions, or sacks.

Kyle Dugger picked up some of the scoring slack with a brilliantly-timed interception return for touchdown. Nick Folk hit three field-goals.

Raiders coach Josh McDaniels, who spent 18 seasons with New England in various roles before finding his niche as offensive coordinator, has led Las Vegas to wins in four of their last five games.

Bill Belichick has now lost to former assistants in six of the last seven times he’s faced them.

The Patriots [7-7] were fortunate that the Dolphins and Jets lost on Sunday, but their path to the playoffs got quite a bit tougher with this loss. Here’s how it unfolded.

Fourth quarter

0:00: Rhamondre Stevenson breaks off a long run, flips the ball back to Jakobi Meyers, who tries to throw the ball backwards to Mac Jones. Former Patriot Chandler Jones intercepts the pass, stiff-arms Jones, and runs 48-yards for the game-winning touchdown. Patriots lose in stunning fashion. Raiders 30, Patriots 24.

0:03: Pass intended for Meyers is incomplete.

0:09: Jones is hurried, and his pass bounces on the ground incomplete.

0:14: Patriots pick up a first down on a draw play to Rhamondre Stevenson and use their final time out. Not quite in field-goal range yet. Need to move the ball about 15-20 yards further.

0:20: Jones throws the ball in Nelson Agholor’s direction, but high out of bounds.

0:25: Jones completes a pass to Jakobi Meyers. Patriots immediately call timeout. Ball is on the New England 33.

0:32: Keelan Cole ties the game with a leaping catch over Marcus Jones in the back corner of the end zone. The close call goes to the home team, after the refs rule that Cole had both feet inbounds. Patriots 24, Raiders 24.

3:43: Jakobi Meyers hauls in a 39-yard catch and Rhamondre Stevenson gives New England the lead with a lengthy touchdown run. Patriots 24, Raiders 17.

5:17: It’s a three-and-out for the Raiders this time. Three plays, nine yards.

7:27: The Patriots go three-and-out. Three-plays, four yards, two incompletions.

9:14: A 6-play, 10 yard Las Vegas drive ends in a punt.

12:52: Nick Folk hits his third field-goal of the game. Raiders 17, Patriots 16.

15:00: Marcus Jones fields a punt from Las Vegas, and the Patriots will begin the final quarter with the ball and a four-point deficit.

Third quarter

0:25: Josh Uche and Ja’Whaun Bentley storm in for a sack.

2:21: Patriots’ 11-play, 69-yard drive stalls and Nick Folk nets another field-goal. Raiders 17, Patriots 13.

5:23: A pair of solid gains from Kevin Harris bring the Patriots past midfield. Pierre Strong picks up a first down.

5:55: Mac Jones throws a strike to Nelson Agholor down the sideline, who appears to make the catch and drag his toe to stay inbounds, but Las Vegas challenges and gets the call reversed.

7:54: Pinned against the 1-yard line, Rhamondre Stevenson break free for a 25-yard run and gives the Patriots some breathing room.

9:22: Lawrence Guy, who is also from Las Vegas, sacks Derek Carr. It’s the first sack of the game for New England. Raiders punt.

12:07: Kyle Dugger jumps a route and sprints into the end zone for a pick-6. First touchdown of the game for New England. Raiders 17, Patriots 10.

13:03: Former Patriot Chandler Jones tips a pass. Mac Jones’s deep pass to Jakobi Meyers is deflected. Patriots punt the ball to Las Vegas.

13:58: The ball comes out as Jones slides past the first down marker near midfield, but he is ruled down and the Patriots keep the football.

Second quarter

0:04: Carr throws a dart to Mack Hollins, who hauls in the touchdown and completes the drive. Raiders 17, Patriots 3.

0:09: Jabrill Peppers is called for holding, giving the Raiders 1st-and-goal

0:27: Palardy’s punt is blocked, but the Patriots recover. It’s still a turnover on downs. Raiders take over in field-goal range.

1:23: Jones finds Tyquan Thornton on the sideline, but Thornton can’t keep his feet inbounds as he reels in the pass. Jones completes a short pass to Hunter Henry, which isn’t enough for the first down.

2:19: Tough drive for Las Vegas, Judon and Bentley chase Carr into throwing the ball away; Raiders punt the ball to New England with enough time for a two-minute drill.

4:28: Mac Jones throws the ball a little too far past an open Jakobi Meyers as the ball bounces off his fingertips. An attempt for Kendrick Bourne on the next play is imcomplete. Palardy and the Patriots punt again.

5:18: Darren Waller gets behind Myles Bryant on a redzone seam route and Carr hits him in stride for a touchdown. Raiders 10, Patriots 3.

5:22: Ja’Whaun Bentley comes through on a blitz and had. direct pass to Carr who throws the ball out of bounds for an incomplete pass.

7:55: Now in Patriots territory, Carr flips a shovel pass to Josh Jacobs for an 11-yard gain. Raiders are at New England’s 25.

9:00: Nonetheless, Carr hits Cole for a 19-yard gain and a first down on the next play.

9:37: Derek Carr had an incredible amount of time and a wide-open receiver on a play action pass. Too focused on DeVante Adams. Result is an incomplete pass.

11:55: Patriots decide to go for it on 4th-and-goal. Jones dives into the endzone on a QB sneak, but Smith is whistled for a false-start that forces the Patriots to kick. Nick Folk drills the 24-yard attempt and ties the game. Raiders 3, Patriots 3.

12:47: A pass interference call gives the Patriots first-and-goal on the one. Stevenson gets stopped short on first down, Jones overthrows Smith on a goal line fade. A throw to Nelson Agholor is batted away on third down.

14:22: Las Vegas native Rhamondre Stevenson picks up a first down, bringing the Patriots to the red zone.

First quarter

0:00: As the quarter expires, the Patriots appear to have momentum. Jones rifles a pass over the middle to Jonnu Smith, who hauls it in for a 13-yard gain. Trailing by three, the Patriots have 1st-and-10 at the Las Vegas 29 to start the second quarter.

1:21: Tyquan Thornton gets enough separation to connect with Jones for a 21-yard catch. Pierre Strong follows that up with a 14-yard rush.

4:01: Rhamondre Stevenson enters the game and blasts forward up the middle for a nine-yard gain. Jones completes a three-yard screen to Pierre Strong for a first down.

4:26: Myles Bryant comes in on a blitz, pressures Carr into throwing the ball away. On the following play, pressure from Judon forces Carr to throw a low pass that hits the ground before it reaches Renfroe. Raiders punt.

7:01: After a play-action pass from Carr to Moreau, Jacobs picks up a first down on a short gain.

7:12: An incomplete pass from Jones results in a fourth down for New England. Michael Palardy punts the ball to Hunter Renfroe, who took a big hit from Raekwon McMillan after a decent gain.

8:12: Mac Jones completes an 11-yard pass to Jonnu Smith. Seemed like a risky throw, one of the Raiders defenders appeared to get a fingertip on the ball. Then again, the Patriots didn’t take much risk at all last week and seem more willing to throw the ball further so far.

9:09: Carr finds Jacobs again for a 15-yard gain, taking Las Vegas to the New England 11. After a pair of incomplete passes, the Raiders settle for a field-goal attempt. Daniel Carlson makes the 49-yarder look easy. Raiders 3, Patriots 0.

12:55: On the very next play, Josh Jacobs takes the ball 18 yards up the middle.

13:01: Derek Carr gets an early deep-ball attempt to Devante Adams, but Marcus Jones has the closing speed to recover and knock the ball away.

15:00: Patriots kick the ball off to the Raiders.

Breaking down the Patriots inactives, 3:20 p.m.

Following a head injury that prompted an NFLPA investigation, Patriots receiver DeVante Parker is out. He had a big game against Minnesota on Thanksgiving, but has been held to 24 yards or less in four of his last five games as he continues to battle injuries.
- Jakobi Meyers and Rhamondre Stevenson will play, which is very good news for the passing game On top of his rushing duties, Stevenson leads the team in catches and targets. Meyers has been New England’s top receiving option in terms of yards and touchdowns.
  - Damien Harris is out for the third week in a row, nursing a thigh injury. Rookie running backs Kevin Harris and Pierre Strong each scored their first touchdowns in his absence last week.

Inactives, 2:35 p.m.

Patriots: DB Jack Jones, DL Sam Roberts, DB Jalen Mills, DB Joshuah Bledsoe, RB Damien Harris, WR DeVante Parker.

Raiders: OL Alex Bars, DB Rock Ya-Sin, DL Tashawn Bower, DL Andrew Billings, DL Neil Farrell, OL Barton Jackson, OL Netane Muti

Pregame notes, 2:05 p.m.

As the Patriots attempt to hang on to their spot in the AFC playoff picture, a familiar foe stands in the way while riding a hot streak.

Former Patriots offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels, who spent over a decade in New England before leaving in the offseason, has led the Las Vegas Raiders to win three of their last four games.

New England grabbed a sliver of redemption last week, beating the Arizona Cardinals without Kyler Murray and stopping a two-game losing streak.

They’ve also regained a big piece of their interior defensive line, activating defensive tackle Christian Barmore from injured reserve and further strengthening one of the teams best units.

The Patriots’ pass rush has been ferocious this season, and last week was no different. Josh Uche was named AFC player of the week after notching his second three-sack game of the season. He’s the first Patriot since Mike Vrabel to make that accomplishment.

Uche and Judon are the only teammates in the NFL with double-digit sacks individually.

This week, their target will be Las Vegas Derek Carr who went 11-20 for 137 yards, no touchdowns and two interceptions in a loss to the Rams last week. And was against a team that didn’t notch a sack against him.

Still, Carr and the Raiders have shown they can put up their fair share of points in recent weeks. The Patriots have done much better at taking care of the football over the last few weeks, but moving the ball has been a whole other story.

Can the Patriots pick up a key win against a familiar foe? Follow along for live scores, updates, and analysis.