Jakobi Meyers and Rhamondre Stevenson said their laterals at the end of Sunday’s game were not something the coaches told them to do.
— New England Patriots wide receiver Jakobi Meyers stood in a stunned locker room following the team’s 30-24 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium, making no excuses for his role in the shocking play that ended the game with no time left.
Meyers’ careless lateral was caught by Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones, and returned 48 yards for a touchdown as Jones steamrolled quarterback Mac Jones — the last line of defense — en route to the end zone.
«Just trying to do too much, Trying to be a hero, I guess,» Meyers said. «I thought I saw Mac open. I didn’t see Chandler Jones at the time. I thought [Mac] was open and tried to get it to him, and let him try to make a play with it. But the score was tied, so I should have went down.»
Why the Patriots were lateraling at all was a surprise, as players said that wasn’t what was supposed to happen.
The Patriots had the ball at their 45-yard line, with three seconds left, and the score tied at 24.
