The Patriots probably got a little lucky on their opening drive of the second half.
Facing a third-and-10 from the Commanders’ 38-yard line, the Patriots’ promising possession looked like it was going to amount to nothing when Mac Jones was sacked by KJ Henry for a nine-yard loss. The ball also came out on the play, but it was unclear if Jones was actually down or not as the Patriots were knocked out of field goal range at the very least.
But it didn’t matter because the Patriots caught a major break. Henry was flagged for roughing the passer on the play, giving the Patriots 15 yards and a first down to keep their drive alive, allowing them to kick a field goal shortly later to go up, 17-10.