CNN
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In one of the most bizarre finishes to an NFL game, the Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots 30-24 to keep their slim playoff hopes alive.
With just three seconds left, the game was tied 24-24. Running back Rhamondre Stevenson – who had, up until then, enjoyed monster play – had just grabbed another huge win as he ran into Raiders territory.
The clock had fallen to zero – meaning if Stevenson were to be tackled, the game would be over and he would go to overtime.
Hoping to snatch a victory from the death and avoid an extra 10 minutes of play, Stevenson decided to kick the ball backhand to teammate Jakobi Meyers.
Meyers grabbed the full-back and also tried to keep the game going by throwing to a teammate.
But as he attempted to throw it to quarterback Mac Jones, the ball was caught by Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones, who was playing for the Patriots.
Jones cocked the Patriots quarterback and ran for 48 yards for a touchdown, giving the Raiders the most spectacular of wins under the most unlikely of circumstances.
Meyers admitted he should have kept the ball and let the game go into overtime.
“I didn’t see Chandler Jones at the time,” Meyers told MassLive’s Mark Daniels, per NFL.
“I just thought he was open, I tried to reach for him and let him try to play with it, but the score was tied so I should have dropped.”
Patriots quarterback Jones regretted not taking on his positional rival.
“I have to attack the guy [Chandler Jones]said Jones, per NFL. “It’s on me, and it’s my fault. … I have to tackle the guy, and we’re playing overtime.
Raiders head coach John McDaniels — a former longtime Patriots offensive coordinator — was also surprised at how the game ended.
“Once Rhamondre (Stevenson) threw the ball to Jakobi (Meyers), I thought they’d probably attack whoever had it, and that would be it and we’d go to overtime,” McDaniels said, per NFL .
“When he lateralized the ball… it didn’t feel like lateral play to me when they put the ball back.
“When they put him back I was like, ‘OL, tackle him, go to extra time’. And then when I saw the ball in the air and I saw Chandler ( Jones) below, I thought, “Oh my god, maybe we have a chance.”
“And when he caught it I saw that Mac (Jones) was back there and just hoped he could avoid whatever effort Mac had to tackle him, hope he had enough juice in his body to get to the end zone.”
The thrilling ending came after a thrilling game in which the Patriots scored 21 straight second-half points after leading the Raiders 17-3 at halftime.
That improved the Raiders’ record to 6-8 for the season to keep their playoff hopes alive while the Patriots slipped to 7-7 and with a tough past few weeks, their playoff goals still hang in the balance.
