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Patriots fall to the Raiders, 21-17: Quick observations from New England’s 3rd-straight loss
The Patriots scored their first touchdown in 12 quarters on Sunday, but it was too little, too late.
No, the Patriots weren’t blown out by 30-plus points on Sunday evening in Las Vegas. But the end result remained the same, with extended stretches of offensive ineptitude plaguing New England en route to a frustrating 21-17 loss to the Raiders.
The Patriots are now 1-5 on the season, while the Raiders move to 3-3 on the year.
Here are a few early observations from New England’s third-straight loss.
Offense continues to sputter in Sin City
A trip to Vegas didn’t lead to a reversal of fortunes for New England’s woeful offense.
In what is looking more like an irreversible fate, rather than an extended slump, the Patriots were hampered by porous O-line play, costly penalties and another lackluster showing under center from Mac Jones at Allegiant Stadium.
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Jimmy Garoppolo (who missed the second half due to a back injury) may not strike fear into the hearts of many NFL defenses. But even a 10-point lead for Vegas early in the second quarter felt like an insurmountable deficit for a New England offense that seems systematically broken.
Before a direct snap to Ezekiel Elliott resulted in six points in the third quarter, New England had not scored an offensive touchdown in 12 quarters — which was tied for the longest streak in franchise history.
It was the team’s first touchdown in 40 drives, lasting 197:42 of game time.
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Before New England finally crossed into the Raiders’ 20-yard line on their first drive of the second half, the Patriots had not reached the red zone in 29 straight possessions.
A stronger commitment to the run and short passes to Kendrick Bourne and New England’s tight ends yielded stronger returns as the game went on, but it was too little, too late for the Patriots’ offensive unit.
Rhamondre Stevenson scored with 3:33 left in regulation to make it a two-point game. But New England’s final drive of the evening was a disaster — with Jones’ best throw of the night ultimately dropped by DeVante Parker before a safety closed out the game for good.
Mac Jones’s struggles continue.
Yes, you can dole out plenty of blame on New England’s offensive line, the team’s lackluster assortment of weapons and the suspect coaching for the team’s offensive struggles.
But Jones’s own play and decision-making continue to hurt his own cause as the leader of New England’s offensive unit.
For the first time in three games, Jones didn’t spend most of the second half stapled to New England’s bench.
But some dreadful throws from Jones continued to sap whatever little momentum New England could generate against Vegas, especially before halftime.
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In the closing minutes of the first half, New England was building some positive gains on offense, having scored via a Chad Ryland kick on its previous drive. But after sensing pressure on a 2nd-and-4 sequence, Jones rolled out to his right and launched an errant throw that sailed past a wide-open Hunter Henry and was picked off by Tre’von Moehrig.
The Raiders eventually scored on a field goal during that drive to close out the first half, with New England now outscored, 58-0, off of turnovers this season. New England allowed just 37 points off turnovers all last season.
Despite the considerable hype surrounding Malik Cunningham after New England signed him to a three-year deal earlier this week, New England used the young QB sparingly on certain packages — including the sequence that led to Elliott’s third-quarter score.
A trick play drawn up for Cunningham in the fourth quarter didn’t lead to much, with Vegas recording a sack for a loss of five yards on the sequence.
Another slow start
The good news? The Patriots did not trail by multiple touchdowns early in this contest.
It was a sizable improvement from New England’s previous losses, where New England trailed:
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16-0 to Philadelphia
17-3 to Miami
28-3 to Dallas
21-0 to New Orleans
The bad news? New England only trailed, 3-0, to Vegas at the end of the first quarter — but their offense accounted for -2 yards and only held possession for 2:54. According to ESPN Stats and Info, Sunday marked the first time in Bill Belichick’s head-coaching career that his team has 0 or fewer total yards in the first quarter.
Ryland’s 43-yard field goal in the second quarter ended a streak of 79 unanswered points allowed by the Patriots — the longest streak in the NFL dating back to 2000, per the CBS broadcast.
Some standouts on defense
New England’s banged-up defense still managed to stay afloat for most of Sunday’s game, especially with a few stalwarts like Jabrill Peppers and Christian Barmore making plays.
Peppers gave New England a shot in the arm in the first quarter, obliterating Davante Adams with a crushing hit that popped the ball loose — eventually getting snagged by linebacker Jahlani Tavai for an interception. Ultimately, Peppers’s highlight-reel hit didn’t lead to any momentum for New England, who subsequently punted after going 3-and-out.
Barmore recorded five tackles (including one tackle for loss) while batting down two passes at the line of scrimmage.
Meyers doles out some revenge
In a sequence that we all saw coming, former Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers did plenty of damage against his former team on Sunday — reeling in five catches on seven targets for 61 yards and a touchdown.
For those keeping track, the player that the Patriots opted to sign over Meyers in JuJu Smith-Schuster has only gained 86 total yards through five games this season. He did not play against the Raiders due to a concussion.
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As for other ex-Patriots in Vegas, Garoppolo completed 14-of-22 passes for 162 yards, one touchdown and one interception before exiting the game in the second half with a back injury.
Another former New England QB in Brian Hoyer took over for Garoppolo, finishing with 102 passing yards and a 94.6 rating.
Injuries continue to pile up for New England
New England’s rotten luck with the injury bug continued in Vegas.
After losing their top rookie in Christian Gonzalez in Week 4 against Dallas, another promising player from the team’s 2023 draft class in Keion White exited Sunday’s game in the first quarter due to a head injury. With Matthew Judon already on IR due to a biceps injury, White was expected to earn plenty of pass-rushing reps this season in place of the veteran.
Rhamondre Stevenson managed to gain 16 yards on the ground near the start of New England’s third-quarter drive that resulted in Elliott’s touchdown. But the skilled running back slammed his head into the turf on the run, forcing him to miss most of the quarter before eventually returning in the fourth.
Jonathan Jones was added to the injury report with a knee ailment in the third quarter, while Hunter Henry gingerly made his way to the sideline after suffering an ankle injury on one of Stevenson’s runs in the fourth. Henry did return to the game.
Josh Uche, who was questionable to play on Sunday due to a knee issue, also went to the Patriots locker room early in the fourth quarter due to a foot injury.
Odds and ends
New England was plagued by brutal penalties throughout Sunday’s loss. A leverage penalty on Sam Roberts during a field-goal attempt for Vegas gave the Raiders a fresh set of downs in the first quarter, with Garoppolo unable to capitalize in the red zone with six or seven points.
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Elliott could have had a 74-yard touchdown in the second quarter off of a well-executed play with Jones, but it was nullified after Henry was knocked for an offensive holding penalty.
New England also managed to get to Vegas’ 3-yard line in the final minutes of the fourth quarter, but the Patriots were then called for a false start and an illegal shift on back-to-back plays. Atonio Mafi was then called for offensive holding on New England’s final drive to push New England back up to its own end zone. Just can’t happen.
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Kendrick Bourne was a bright spot on offense for New England, catching 10 passes for 89 yards in the loss.
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LIVE UPDATES
7:03: A safety for the Raiders. 21-17 Vegas.
7:02: Brutal drop by Parker. Woof.
6:57: New England will get the ball back with 2:31 to go.
6:54: Jackson is whistled and hit with a DPI penalty. Brutal.
6:49: Stevenson runs it in. 19-17 game.
6:49: Costly penalty from Crosby. A new set of downs for New England.
6:43: Ooooof. Some luck for Mac Jones there. That could have been a pick.
6:41: Kendrick Bourne continues to try and give this offense some life.
6:40: That trick play for Cunningham leads to a loss of five yards.
6:31: Hunter Henry is now down. When it rains …
6:26: Yet another field goal for the Raiders, as Brian Hoyer continues to push his team down the field.
19-10 Raiders.
6:14: Tyquan Thornton has his first catch of the season, but New England is forced to punt once again.
6:12: Jonathan Jones is questionable to return with a knee injury.
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6:08: Carlson connects on a 30-yard field goal. 16-10 Raiders.
6:01: Now Jonathan Jones is shaken up.
6:00: Patriots announce that Rhamondre Stevenson is questionable to return.
6:00: And now Brian Hoyer is throwing dimes.
5:58: Yikes, that’s not good for Jimmy G.
5:54: The Patriots TD drought is over. Zeke runs it in on the direct snap.
13-10 game.
5:52: BREAKING: The Patriots are in the red zone. First time in 29 drives.
5:48: That about sums up New England’s season. Stevenson reels off a 16-yard run — and then heads to the medical tent.
5:47: Jimmy G is doubtful to return with a back injury. Brian Hoyer is the next man up for Vegas.
5:46: Mac Jones starts the second half for New England.
5:36: Not great!
5:32: Halftime: Patriots trail, 13-3.
5:30: Jones’ pick eventually leads to another field goal from the Raiders.
13-3 Raiders.
5:15: Just a dreadful throw. Henry was wide-open. Another interception for Jones. 5th pick in last three games for Jones.
5:14: Impressive catch from Gesicki.
5:07: Patriots defense forces a 3-and-out. Let’s see New England’s offense can respond after finally making a few big plays on their last drive.
5:03: Just a brutal route from DeVante Parker:
5:00: Some positive gains for New England, but they settle for a field goal.
Ryland is good from 44 yards. 10-3 game.
4:58: The Patriots … are making plays? 36-yard pickup from Kendrick Bourne.
4:56: Zeke runs it in for a long touchdown, but it’s coming back off a block from Henry. Brutal.
Would have been a 74-yard touchdown.
4:49: Jakobi Meyers reels in a touchdown against his former team. Of course.
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10-0 Raiders.
4:47: This is … not great.
4:44: The good news? The Patriots are now in a double-digit lead after the first quarter.
The bad news? The Patriots had the ball for 2 minutes, 54 seconds in the first quarter. They gained -2 yards.
4:44: Keion White downgraded to out with his head injury.
4:40: Annnnd the Patriots go 3-and-out once again. Peppers’ big play leads to little. Mafi continues to really struggle.
4:37: Malik Cunningham in at QB. Hands it off to Stevenson for a minimal gain.
4:34: Holy Peppers. What a hit on Adams, and Tavai comes up with the interception.
4:27: And New England opens with a 3-and-out, along with two penalties and a dropped ball from Stevenson.
4:24: False start on the first play on offense. YIKES.
4:24: Keion White is questionable to return with a head injury.
4:21: Patriots defense stands tall, but Vegas ends a 15-play drive with a field goal.
3-0 Raiders.
4:18: What a mess. Sam Roberts is flagged on Vegas’ field-goal attempt and the Raiders get a fresh set of downs.
4:16: Barmore draws a holding call. Key sequence on a third-down play.
4:13: Keion White is banged up — he’s heading to the medical tent.
4:10: The Michael Mayer game, as we all expected.
4:06: JC Jackson and Jonathan Jones are the Patriots starting boundary corners.
4:03: Patriots win the coin toss and they defer. Defense up first.
3:37: Interesting…
3:30: Maxx Crosby might be in for another big game.
3:18: Patriots warmups are underway.
3:12: Could be a very busy day for Cunningham.
3:03: Cunningham impressed with his mobility in his Patriots preseason debut, but he has yet to play a regular-season snap at the NFL level.
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2:57: Clearly, the Patriots must have really liked what Cunningham showcased during practice this week, unless both Zappe and Will Grier really struggled in whatever reps came their way.
2:53: Based on one report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, it seems like Mac Jones will be operating on a “short leash” tonight. Could be the Malik Cunningham show if New England has another slow start.
2:43: The Patriots only active wideouts.
Kendrick Bourne
DeVante Parker
Tyquan Thornton (season debut)
Jalen Reagor (practice squad elevation)
Cunningham could also slot in at WR.
2:41: New England’s last trip to Vegas wasn’t exactly kind to the Pats.
They’re only 2-6 since Jakobi Meyers’ costly turnover that cost New England a much-needed win.
2:40: A look at the Patriots inactives. Looks like Cunningham will be Jones’ primary backup today.
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