The Las Vegas Raiders beat the New England Patriots 30-24 on one of the craziest plays in NFL history Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.
The game was tied 24-24 in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, when the Patriots had 3rd-and-10 at their own 45-yard line. New England quarterback Mac Jones handed off to Rhamondre Stevenson, and Stevenson lateraled the ball to teammate Jakobi Meyers inside the Raiders‘ 35-yard line.
Meyers — located near the sideline — then circled back to the Raiders’ 40-yard line, before a long lateral/throw to midfield, right to Las Vegas defensive end Chandler Jones.
Chandler Jones then stiff-armed Mac Jones on the way to a 48-yard touchdown, giving Las Vegas an insane 30-24 walk-off win (a reversal of how things have gone for the Raiders this season). Had Meyers just gone down instead of trying the desperate lateral, the game would’ve gone to overtime.
Here’s how the play looked and sounded on the Fox television broadcast, with play-by-play man Kenny Albert and color commentator Jonathan Vilma on the call (via The Comeback on Twitter).
RAIDERS WIN ON THE CRAZIEST NFL ENDING YOU’LL EVER SEE! pic.twitter.com/HrYH06WIsr
— The Comeback (@thecomeback) December 19, 2022
Albert: “Flips it back… Stanford band nowhere in sight.”
Vilma: “UH OH!”
Albert: “IT’S PICKED OFF!”
Vilma: “UH OH! OH NO!”
Albert: “UNBELIEVABLE!”
Vilma: “OH WOW!”
Albert: “INCREDIBLE! CHANDLER JONES TAKES IT IN AND WINS THE GAME FOR THE RAIDERS!… HAVE YOU EVER SEEN AN ENDING LIKE THAT ONE?’
Vilma: “I HAVE NEVER SEEN AN ENDING LIKE THAT! I HAVE NO IDEA WHY HE WAS DOING THAT! OH MY GOODNESS!”
Now, for the local radio calls.
Raiders play-by-play man Jason Horowitz had an amazing, voice-cracking call of the play alongside former Raiders offensive tackle Lincoln Kennedy for Compass Media (via Tim Cates on Twitter).
https://twitter.com/timcates/status/1604643491853656065
Horowitz: “Now Jakobi Meyers spinning around… he throws it… TO CHANDLER JONES AT MIDFIELD!… AND A STIFF ARM!… CHANDLER JONES RACING TOWARDS THE END ZONE!… AND SCOOOOORES! OH MY GOODNESS! OH MY GOODNESS!”
Kennedy: “I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW!”
Horowitz: “AGAIN!”
Kennedy: “I CAN’T BELIEVE WHAT I JUST SAW! THIS IS UNBELIEVABLE!… WOW!”
Horowitz: “ON THE FIRST NIGHT OF HANUKKAH, IT’S A MIRACLE IN LAS VEGAS!”
How about the losing side?
Bob Socci (play-by-play) and Scott Zolak (analyst) had the call for Patriots radio on 98.5 The Sports Hub (via Chris Lopresti on Twitter).
Stunned disbelief on Pats radio… pic.twitter.com/RYhNAymoux
— Chris Lopresti (@CLoprestiWFAN) December 19, 2022
Socci: “Jakobi Meyers picks it up… he circles back and he throws it across the field…
Zolak: “Oh my God.”
Socci: “IT’S PICKED OFF BY CHANDLER JONES! HE BREAKS AWAY TO THE 30! HE RUNS TO THE 20! HE RUNS TO THE 10! HE RUNS TO THE END ZONE! UN-REAL! TOUCHDOWN! RAIDERS!
Zolak: “This might be one of the dumbest teams I’ve ever seen.”
Socci: “And a victory, for Las Vegas!”
Zolak speaking for Patriots fans with the “This might be one of the dumbest teams I’ve ever seen” line. Bill Belichick’s team falls to 7-7 on the season.
About Matt Clapp
Matt is an editor/writer at The Comeback and Awful Announcing.
He can be reached by email at mclapp@thecomeback.com.