FOXBORO, Mass. — Early in the fourth quarter Sunday, Josh McDaniels summoned his starting quarterback and his battle-hardened wide receiver.
The Las Vegas Raiders had just kicked a field goal to cut the New England Patriots’ lead to 10 with less than 12 minutes remaining. New England had looked like the better team in the second half, but Jon Gruden’s visitors, which had upset the New Orleans Saints the previous week, were hanging around.
Another Patriots touchdown likely would slam the door on the Raiders’ comeback bid. That was the message McDaniels, New England’s offensive coordinator, delivered to Cam Newton and Julian Edelman ahead of what proved to be their penultimate possession.