There have been many plays that live in infamy throughout NFL history.
The Butt Fumble, the Indianapolis Colts’ failed fake punt, the Seattle Seahawks interception in the Super Bowl, and most recently, New England Patriots wide receiver, Jakobi Meyers’ attempt at a lateral on Sunday.
This play led to the Patriots losing their game against the Las Vegas raiders, and Meyers being the brunt of scrutiny across sports media.
“That might be the dumbest play we’ve seen in NFL history.” 😬@stephenasmith on the Patriots’ last-second lateral against the Raiders pic.twitter.com/ZD2V8vqfxg
— First Take (@FirstTake) December 19, 2022
In the above clip, Stephen A. Smith speaks his mind about the decision that Meyers made, and makes it clear that he believes that this was one of, if not the dumbest plays in NFL history.
The Catastrophic Implications Of This Play
While Meyers isn’t the only reason for the Patriots’ loss on Sunday, it’s hard to find any upside to this decision.
Not only did this play ultimately result in the Patriots losing, but it puts them in a much more difficult position to make the playoffs.
They are currently tied with the New York Jets for the bottom of the AFC East at 7-7.
If the season were to end today, the Patriots would find themselves out of the playoffs, just behind the 8-6 Miami Dolphins.
The Patriots will need to win the rest of their games this season to even have a chance at the playoffs, and get a bit of help from other teams around the league as well.
With games against the Cincinnati Bengals, Dolphins, and Buffalo Bills to finish out the season, the Patriots will have tough tests against some of the AFC’s best teams.
NEXT: Jakobi Meyers Explains His Thinking On Lateral Play