Raiders QB Brian Hoyer Earns Applause After Holding Off Patriots

It was a Patriots reunion during New England’s Week 6 battle with the Raiders in Las Vegas on Sunday.

However, not going as planned, former New England and current Las Vegas quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo went down and was hospitalized at halftime. That both threatened the chances of the Raiders coming out on top and opened the opportunity for backup quarterback Brian Hoyer — another former Patriots arm — to enter the contest and deliver.

And that’s exactly what the 38-year-old did, helping keep the Patriots at bay en route to a 21-17 New England loss — its third consecutive.

“That game meant a lot to him too,” fellow ex-Patriot Jakobi Meyers told reporters, per team-provided video. “Brian was with me over with the Patriots too so I understand what that moment meant for him. I’m just happy for him, man. I’m happy that he got that chance.”

Entering in the third quarter with Las Vegas leading New England, 13-3, Hoyer didn’t cave. He completed six-of-10 pass attempts and threw for 102 yards, keeping the Patriots chasing and searching for answers despite all the opportunities in the world for a lead change.

Though the circumstances were unexpected, the respect and trust in Hoyer, from Las Vegas, was already in place.

“We know what he’s capable of,” Raiders running back Josh Jacobs explained. “To hear the fans boo him and (expletive) is kind of crazy. He came out there and bombed them and shut them up, so I mean, it just is what it is. I think he played good, man. Obviously, he’s a veteran quarterback, he knows this system a lot and he came in and he played pretty poised to me.”

An overall sweet victory for some ex-New England faces, but another daunting week for head coach Bill Belichick, quarterback Mac Jones and the entire Patriots locker room, falling to now 1-5.