After two games without a touchdown, the New England Patriots finally found the end zone on Sunday.
But it wasn't much solace in a 21-17 loss to the Las Vegas Raiders that dropped the Patriots to 1-5. New England's offense score two touchdowns, but did little else as quarterback Mac Jones again struggled to keep the ball moving.
While trailing 19-10 in the fourth quarter, the Patriots mounted a plodding 17-play, 75-yard drive to cut their deficit to 19-17 with 3:33. A defensive stop then secured possession of the ball with 2:23 left and a chance to drive for the win.
But the task proved too daunting as New England started its final possession on its own nine-yard line. The Patriots' best chance was a downfield throw from Jones targeting DeVante Parker that would have put New England close to field goal range. It was the best pass of the day from Jones, but Parker dropped it, setting New England up for a disastrous third down.
Jones dropped back into the end zone on third-and-15, only to be swarmed by Raiders pass rushers and sacked for a safety by Maxx Crosby.
The safety put Las Vegas up 21-17 and allowed the Raiders to kneel down to run out the clock on its ensuing possession. The Raiders won despite losing starting quarterback Jimmy Garoppolo to a back injury for the second half. Backup and former Patriot Brian Hoyer took over in the third quarter and closed out the win over his former team.