Legendary NFL head coach Bill Belichick has been slammed for his players starting to go "rogue" after his New England Patriots threw away the game against the Las Vegas Raiders in spectacular fashion on Sunday.
With the scored tied 24-24 and overtime beckoning, Pats running back Rhamondre Stevenson takes the hand-off from quarterback Mac Jones and rushes forward as time expires. Stevenson drove to around the Raiders 30-yard line where he seemed destined to be tackled, which would end the regulation period.
However, Stevenson inexplicably decided to lateral the ball to receiver Jakobi Meyers just in case miracle play could be pulled off and clinch the win for the Patriots. Meyers attempted to throw a high pass back to Jones but it was picked off by Raiders defensive star Chandler Jones, who stiff armed the New England quarterback as he took the ball in for a last-gasp touchdown, securing a memorable 30-24 win.
Belichick is renowned for his short temper when it comes to errors, particularly unforced ones. NFL Hall of Famer and sports personality Shannon Sharpe pulled no punches and suggested Belichick is losing his grip on the franchise after leading them to six Super Bowl titles over his 23-year tenure in Foxborough.
“It’s the dumbest play I’ve ever seen,” Sharpe told co-host Skip Bayless on their Fox Sports show, Undisputed. “Jakobi Meyers said the instructions in the huddle were straightforward: just run the ball and go down.
"First of all, Rhamondre Stevenson goes rogue. He thought [the opposition] expected him to go down, let me him some cheap rush yards. He got his 34 yards, padded his stats, how about just go down? No, let me pitch it to Jakobi Meyers.
“To lose the game in this fashion… I don’t understand what Jakobi Meyers is thinking. You’re in a tie ball game, you’re going to overtime. They were playing like they were behind seven, trying to make something happen like the Miami Miracle a few seasons ago.
“Guys are going rogue. For 20-plus years, guys never went rogue; whatever coach Belichick called, they did. Now all of sudden, guys are taking it upon themselves to do whatever the hell they want to do. I can’t explain it. I thought there was no way the score was 24-24 and they’re attempting this.”
Sharpe also speculated that quarterback Jones is done with offensive coordinator Matt Patricia, suggesting Belichick should move to replace the former Detroit Lions head coach if Jones is to return to the form and promise he showcased during his impressive 2021 rookie season. Sharpe added: “Besides that dumb play, Mac Jones is over Matt Patricia.
“Mac Jones is like, ‘I’m regressing under you’ - the man was 13-of-31 for 112 yards. I’m never going to say Mac Jones is going to be Tom Brady or Joe Montana or anything elite, but I saw Mac Jones last year when he had a competent offensive coordinator and he didn’t look like this.”
The shocking result leaves the Patriots with a 7-7 record while the Raiders improved to 6-8. The Patriots could now miss out on the postseason for the second time in three years so they will need a win when they face the Cincinnati Bengals next Saturday.
