LAS VEGAS – Las Vegas Raiders coach Jon Gruden acknowledged that memories of scoring too early against the Kansas City Chiefs on Nov. 22 and the visions of Patrick Mahomes at the helm of a game-winning the last minute at the Allegiant Stadium could have affected his play at the end of the last second on Saturday night, a 26-25 defeat against the Miami Dolphins.
Instead of making a touchdown, the Dolphins seemed willing to surrender at the end of the game, the Raiders opted to milk the clock and get Josh Jacobs down to the 1-yard line on purpose, before quarterback Derek Carr would take a knee on the third. They settled for a 19-yard field goal to give Las Vegas a short two-point lead.
“The move was to remove all the clock and all the downtime and put them back against the wall with 19 seconds left,” Gruden said. “I don’t regret it. I didn’t want to [Dolphins quarterback Ryan] Fitzpatrick approaches the ball. … I didn’t want him to be in a situation of four. He is a gunman; it was hot. That’s all I can say. I don’t regret it one bit. I’m just sorry for the results.
“But are there 19 seconds left, on your own 25-yard line, with no downtime? I’ve been calling plays for a long time. The odds of getting it are remote.”
Unfortunately for Gruden, the Raiders’ defense exploded in the next unit.
At first, Raiders corner Damon Arnette simply let Dolphins wide receiver Mack Hollins pass in front of him on the left side line, unimpeded. Fitzpatrick, with the Raiders defensive end, Arden Key turning his head back, unleashed a deep ball that Hollins ran and, with the Raiders defensive back, Isaiah Johnson, who arrived late, made a 34-yard pick. yards.
Throwing the 15-yard penalty from Key for the mask and the Dolphins were in goal. Two snapshots later, Jason Sanders’ 44-yard field goal with 1 second remaining was the winner.
“Unfortunately, they made a play of despair,” Gruden said, “and the penalty was horrible.
“Fitzpatrick gives opportunities to his guys that most quarterbacks don’t take. He’s willing to throw football on the field in narrow windows … He got us.”
Carr, still feeling the effects of a tense groin that sidelined him nine nights earlier, had the Raiders in a position to win, even if, with problems, he would not have given the Raiders the best chance of winning.
The Raiders were 0 for 10 in third place against the Dolphins.
“This could be the hardest,” said Carr, who is in his seventh season with the Raiders and has seen his number of highlights and little light with the team. “That’s hard. It’s a hard way to get out, especially with all the excitement of the week for me.”
Carr passed 21 of 34 passing for 336 yards and an 85-yard touchdown to Nelson Agholor.
“I’m sick of our organization,” Carr said. “I’m sick of our defense … My heart feels bad for our fans.”
Carr said he agreed with Gruden’s play in the last minute and would not have scored the touchdown and would not have gone for a 2-point conversion to force the Dolphins to score a TD.
“I thought we made it absolutely perfect,” Carr said of the last unit. “I don’t regret it. He takes all his time out. He takes all the time off the clock … He just hopes to win this game.
“The way he handled the coach was perfect, his plays were perfect. His communication, perfect. The only thing we regret is not finishing in a win.”
On five trips to Miami’s 25-yard line, the Raiders came out with a single touchdown and four field goals. As the Associated Press noted, the Raiders have gotten just two touchdowns on their last 13 full discs with Carr at quarterback. They have achieved three TDs in six complete discs behind the most mobile and sa Marcus Mariota.
Ever since the Raiders scored a touchdown with 1:43 to play to gain a three-point lead over the Chiefs in Week 11, when Muhammad threw a winning touchdown pass 75 seconds later, the Raiders have been in the queue. Las Vegas has lost five of six, including the loss to Kansas City, to see its record fall 6-3 to 7-8.