The New England Patriots showed a little improvement Sunday, but the result was still the same.
The Las Vegas Raiders held on for a 21-17 victory over the Patriots in their Week 6 game at Allegiant Stadium. The loss drops the Patriots to 1-5 for the first time since 1995.
The Patriots trailed 10-0 early and went into halftime down 13-3. They were behind 19-10 in the fourth quarter and made it interesting with a late fourth quarter touchdown, but costly penalties (10 for 79 yards) and a lack of consistent execution on both sides of the ball were too much to overcome.
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The Patriots got the ball back on their own 9-yard line with 2:23 remaining. They had a chance to go down the field and win the game. Two penalties pushed them back and then Mac Jones was sacked in the end zone for a safety.
Next up for the Patriots is a tough Week 7 matchup against the Buffalo Bills at home. But before we look ahead to that game, here are four takeaways from Patriots-Raiders.
Mac Jones shows very little improvement
One of the biggest question marks coming into this game was how Jones would perform after the previous two matchups were the two worst of his pro career.
Turnovers were the primary issue for Jones in the last two games. He threw two interceptions and a lost a fumble in each contest. He fared a little better in that regard against the Raiders, but he still threw an interception in the second quarter on what CBS Sports' Tony Romo called a "horrendous throw" during the broadcast.
Jones had tight end Hunter Henry wide open and he just overthrew him. That drive could have resulted in a touchdown or a field goal, but instead the Raiders took over possession and kicked a field goal on the ensuing possession to take a 13-3 halftime lead.
Jones finished with 24 completions on 33 attempts for 200 yards, zero touchdowns and one interception. He has one touchdown pass in his last four games and none in the last three. It's the first time in his career that he has failed to throw a single TD pass in three or more consecutive games.
The first touchdown the Patriots scored against the Raiders happened in the third quarter when Jones was out of the game. Running back Ezekiel Elliott took the direct snap and ran into the end zone from two yards out. The other score was a Rhamondre Stevenson run.
Luckily for Jones, the Patriots' other options at quarterback aren't any better, so he should still be the starter for a while. Bailey Zappe was demoted to emergency QB for the first time Sunday. Malik Cunningham was the backup after being elevated from the practice squad to the active roster Saturday. Cunningham barely played against the Raiders, though, and likely isn't a serious threat to overtake the starting job.
Jones should be safe for now, but his lackluster performance still isn't anywhere good enough.
MORE PATRIOTS COVERAGE
Bad starts are a disturbing trend for Patriots
It's hard for any team to overcome double-digit deficits on a weekly basis. It's even more difficult for a team as inept offensively as the Patriots to climb out of early holes.
The Patriots played one of their worst first quarters ever Sunday. They finished the opening 15 minutes with zero points, zero first downs, minus-2 net yards, four penalties for 37 yards and just six offensive plays.
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The Raiders went up 10-0 just 2:38 into the second quarter on a Jakobi Meyers touchdown catch. It was the first time the Raiders had led by double digits this season. It also represented the fifth time in six games this season that the Patriots trailed by double digits in the first half.
- Week 1 vs. Eagles: Trailing 16-0 in first quarter
- Week 2 vs. Dolphins: 17-3 at halftime
- Week 3 vs. Jets: won 15-13
- Week 4 at Cowboys: 28-3 at halftime
- Week 5 vs. Saints: 21-0 at halftime
- Week 6 at Raiders: 13-3 at halftime
It's hard to see the Patriots' losing streak ending until they start games in a much better fashion.
Ezekiel Elliott should be more involved offensively
Elliott showed plenty of juice Sunday, and it's clear that he should have a larger role in the offense going forward. The 28-year-old veteran showed off great speed in the first quarter when he caught a pass from Jones and ran into the end zone four a 74-yard touchdown. It would have been New England's longest scoring play of the campaign, but it was negated by a holding penalty.
Elliott did find the end zone later in the game on a direct snap from the goal line. It was the Patriots' first touchdown since Week 3.
Elliott finished with 34 yards and a touchdown on seven carries (4.9 yards per attempt). He also caught one pass for 15 yards. He looked explosive running with the ball and showed his trademark strength when running between the tackles. Elliott still has plenty of power in those legs.
The Patriots would be wise to use Elliott more often, both on run plays and as a pass-catcher out of the backfield. His combination of speed and strength makes him arguably the biggest threat in New England's offense. He is also averaging almost a full yard more per carry than Stevenson through six games.
Jakobi Meyers shows Pats what they're missing
The Patriots did a pretty good job shutting down elite Raiders wideout Davante Adams. He was held to just two catches for 29 yards and zero touchdowns.
Jakobi Meyers? That was a different story.
The ex-Patriots wide receiver tallied five receptions for 61 yards and one touchdown.
The Patriots chose to let Meyers walk in free agency back in March and he signed a three-year deal with the Raiders. New England replaced him with JuJu Smith-Schuster, who inked a similar three-year contract.
Smith-Schuster didn't play Sunday because he is dealing with a concussion. Durability has always been a concern for the veteran wideout.
Here's a look at how much Meyers has outplayed Smith-Schuster entering Week 7.
The Patriots made a mistake giving up on a productive wide receiver like Meyers. He had really good chemistry with Jones and was very reliable on third downs. Meyers has more receptions and more yards than any player on the Patriots through six weeks, and he missed Week 2 due to injury. His four receiving touchdowns are tied for the second-most in the league.
New England has made a lot of poor roster decisions since Tom Brady left following the 2019 campaign. Allowing Meyers to leave in free agency is near the top of that list.