Raiders' Jon Gruden: 'I Don't Regret' Settling for Late Field Goal vs. Dolphins

After a wild Saturday night game that ended with the Las Vegas Raiders' elimination from playoff contention, head coach Jon Gruden didn't regret settling for a field goal on their final offensive series. 

"We felt the play was to eliminate all the clock and all the timeouts," Gruden told reporters after his team's 26-25 loss to the Miami Dolphins. "I don't regret it one bit. I just regret the results."

Following a Dolphins touchdown, the Raiders took possession trailing 23-22 with 2:55 remaining in regulation. 

Las Vegas was set up at Miami's 22-yard line following a 49-yard pass interference penalty call against Byron Jones. A combination of four Josh Jacobs runs and a Kyle Van Noy offside penalty put the Raiders at the 1-yard line with 1:05 left on the clock.

Jacobs had a chance to get into the end zone on 2nd-and-goal, but he opted to slide before crossing the plane to keep the clock running. Daniel Carlson kicked a go-ahead 22-yard field goal that seemed like it would win the game with 19 seconds left. 

Instead, Miami picked up 49 yards on its next offensive play thanks to Ryan Fitzpatrick's 34-yard completion to Mack Hollins and a roughing the passer penalty against Arden Key. 

After a Fitzpatrick incomplete pass, Jason Sanders kicked a 44-yard field goal that gave the Dolphins a win.

The fourth quarter featured both teams scoring a combined 22 points, four lead changes and one tie. Five straight possessions ended in either a touchdown or field goal. Four of those possessions went at least 71 yards. 

The Raiders have played with fire all season, with mixed results.

They came within two minutes of beating the Kansas City Chiefs twice, capitalized on New York Jets defensive coordinator Gregg Williams' decision to send an all-out blitz in the final seconds, lost to the Los Angeles Chargers in overtime last week when the defense couldn't get Justin Herbert off the field and then lost to the Dolphins because they played for a field goal when they were one yard away from scoring a touchdown. 

Gruden seemed like he had the Raiders trending in the right direction when they were challenging for a playoff spot, but five losses in the past six games have derailed what was a once promising season.