Las Vegas Raiders get a boost from Brian Hoyer in a 21-17 victory over New England Patriots

Raiders put the Patriots away thanks to Maxx Crosby and Brian Hoyer

In a strange turn of events, Garoppolo would not come out for the second half due to a back injury that sent him to the hospital. So despite finishing the first half and leaving the game on his own power, it would be Brian Hoyer the rest of the way. 

While theoretically, the offense would be much worse under Hoyer, a fifteen-year vet who has never been anything special, it really didn’t look that different. 

If anything, the offense finally had some new-found verticality as Hoyer immediately hit Tre Tucker on a 48-yard post route on third down. 

Still, his deficiencies were on full display as he struggled to consistently deliver the ball accurately, especially to Adams who seemed to be frustrated with his lack of involvement. 

On the ground, Jacobs was still struggling as he finished with 77 yards on 25 carries. At 3.1 yards per carry, the ground game has to be better going forward. 

After a strong first half from the defense, the Patriots were able to punch in two short rushing touchdowns with both Ezekiel Elliott and Rhamondre Stevenson. 

Still, the defense was able to seal the deal when Maxx Crosby beat a double team on the edge to sack Mac Jones for a safety that put the Raiders over the 20-point mark for the first time this season and gave them a 21-17 win. 

Back to .500 at 3-3, the Raiders have returned to relevance in the 2023 season. With a pretty favorable schedule over the next month, Las Vegas could become a factor in the AFC playoff race. 

First a foremost however, the Raiders must become a better offensive unit, regardless of who is under center.