With the game tied at 24 and just three seconds left on the clock, the worst-case scenario for the New England Patriots during Sunday’s game against the Las Vegas Raiders should have been taking the game to overtime. But that’s not how it went down.
After receiving the ball on a lateral from Patriots running back Rhamondre Stevenson, wide receiver Jakobi Meyers tried to throw it all the way across the field to Mac Jones, but Raiders defensive end Chandler Jones caught it instead and ran it back for an insane game-ending touchdown. And Meyers feels terrible about it.
After the game, Jakobi Meyers admitted that he shouldn’t have tried to throw the ball, but he saw quarterback Mac Jones seem to be open and was “trying to be a hero.”
“Just trying to do too much. Trying to be a hero, I guess,” Meyers said according to Mark Daniels of masslive.com. “I ain’t see dude back there, tried throwing the ball. I just was doing too much. I should’ve went down with the ball.”
Meyers had tears in his eyes as he answered questions after the game, and he took full responsibility, even when others tried to deflect blame to Stevenson for giving him the ball in the first place.
“It ain’t even about Rhamondre. Once he gives it to me, I’m smart enough to know the score was tied and go down with it,” Meyers said. “Whether he gave me the ball or not – he gave it to me because he trusts me. I’ve just got to be smarter with it.”
It’s certainly a play he won’t forget.
