Raiders top Patriots 21-17 after losing Garoppolo to back injury
LAS VEGAS — Hanging over a game in which several ex-New England Patriots played key roles in a victory against their former team was the loss of Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a back injury.
Raiders coach Josh McDaniels didn’t have an update on Garoppolo after Las Vegas’ 21-17 win Sunday, and the availability of the oft-injured quarterback could be a major issue going forward.
Brian Hoyer played the entire second half against the Patriots, throwing for 102 yards, but whether he would be the answer going forward remains to be seen.
The Raiders also could turn to rookie Aidan O’Connell if Garoppolo is out.
“I think there are a lot of balls up in the air right now relative to Jimmy,” McDaniels said. “We’ll have a little patience and see what the report is going to be. I’m hoping for the best, obviously. We’ll find out more and try to make the best decision for the team.”
Garoppolo played the first half before being ruled out with a back injury. He completed 14 of 22 passes for 162 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Then he gave way to Hoyer.
“It’s my 15th year,” Hoyer said. “I’ve pretty much seen all the situations, and really what it comes down to is playing football regardless of the situation.”
The Raiders have won back-to-back games to move to .500 at 3-3 and ended a six-game streak going back to last season of not scoring at least 20 points. This was their Raiders’ 500th regular-season victory as a franchise, 10th-best all time.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick remains at 299 career regular-season wins, losing to McDaniels, his former longtime offensive coordinator. This is the first time Belichick, whose first season in New England was in 2000, has started a season 1-5 with the Patriots.
“Couldn’t quite make enough plays here tonight,” Belichick said. “Had our opportunities and just need to do a better job here and really just about every area. Any one of the number of things could have made a difference. We just need to coach it better, play it better, execute it a little bit better. That’s really the story again.”
McDaniels was one of many former Patriots who had a major role in this victory. Garoppolo and Hoyer played under McDaniels in New England, and Jakobi Meyers — who had five receptions for 61 yards — spent the previous four seasons there.
Josh Jacobs rushed for 77 yards for the Raiders, and rookie tight end Michael Mayer caught five passes for 75 yards. Mayer had three catches for 41 yards entering the game.
Patriots quarterback Mac Jones was 24 of 33 for 200 yards with an interception. New England had just 259 total yards.
New England reached the end zone about midway through the third quarter on 2-yard run by Ezekiel Elliott, who scored on a direct snap and cut Las Vegas’ lead to 13-10.
But Carlson made field goals from 30 and 24 yards to give the Raiders a two-possession lead in the fourth quarter at 19-10.
The Raiders needed those points when Rhamondre Stevenson scored on a 1-yard touchdown with 3:33 remaining in the game. The drive lasted 9:30, covering 75 yards on 17 plays.
Las Vegas ended any doubts with Maxx Crosby and Bilal Nichols combined on a sack for a safety with 1:47 left.