The New England Patriots dramatically fell yet again in Week 6, losing to the Las Vegas Raiders in a matchup that came down to a thrilling final sequence.
In the fourth quarter, New England pushed a convincing comeback bid that gave the Patriots a potential game-winning drive. Quarterback Mac Jones, who once again laid an egg overall, had himself a shot at redemption to put New England’s then-two-game losing streak in the rearview mirror.
However, Las Vegas defensive end Maxx Crosby had other plans, sacking Jones for a game-seizing safety on third-and-15, handing the Patriots a 21-17 loss at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday.
“We’re resilient, we got a bunch of young, tough, hard-nosed, blue-collar ballers on this team, especially on the defensive side,” Crosby said postgame, per CBS video. “I love these guys to get better every single day. I say it’s a pleasure to go to work with them. Without them, it wouldn’t be possible to go out there and do what I do.”
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Crosby added: “I’m proud of everybody.”
Although the Patriots offense was practically useless for the first two quarters-plus, the Raiders didn’t have it easy either.
At halftime, starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo was hospitalized and ruled out for the remainder of the game. That left Las Vegas with Brian Hoyer and a 13-3 lead with plenty of time on the clock for New England — an opportunity that the Patriots ultimately squandered.
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The Raiders have their resilience more than anything to thank for that.
Similarly to the Patriots, albeit for much different circumstances, the Raiders have had their fair share of adversity through the first six weeks of the season too. They’ve lost wideout Jakobi Meyers and Garoppolo previously, resulting in several tough losses before landing at 3-3 with plenty of time left before the end of the season.
Featured image via Candice Ward/USA TODAY Sports Images
