WATCH: Chandler Jones fumble recovery, stiff arm caps wild finish in Raiders vs Patriots
Tied up with the Oakland Raiders at 24-24 with three seconds remaining, the New England Patriots opted to risk it all with a lateral that ended up in the hands of former Patriot defensive end Chandler Jones.
To add insult to injury, Jones scooped up the ball, stiff-armed quarterback Mac Jones to the turf and ran the ball back to the endzone for the win.
Running back Rhamondre Stevenson started off the play by taking the handoff from his quarterback. Once he ran into traffic downfield, he turned back to pitch the ball to wide receiver Jakobi Meyers. Without many options in the backfield, Meyers slung it in the direction of Mac Jones, while taking a rough hit from star rusher Maxx Crosby. The ball soared up in the air for the open-armed Chandler Jones who had little resistance from the second-year Patriots signal-caller on the way to the endzone.
Raiders keep slim playoff hopes alive with win over New England
With their last-play victory, the Raiders move to 6-8 on the year. They are third in the AFC West behind the Kansas City Chiefs and two games back from the Chargers. Meanwhile, the Patriots fall to 7-7. They’re also third in their division, trailing the Bills and Dolphins.
Mac Jones went 13 for 31 with 112 passing yards and no scores. The Patriots relied almost exclusively on field goals for points on Sunday, save for a 34-yard touchdown run by Stevenson and a pick-six by Kyle Dugger.
The only team feeling worse than the Patriots after this weekend is the Indianapolis Colts. Indianapolis blew a 33-0 lead on the Minnesota Vikings on Saturday. It was the biggest comeback in NFL history, rivaling the Patriots’ own 28-3 Super Bowl comeback versus the Falcons in 2017.