Ezekiel Elliott was robbed of a near career-long receiving touchdown vs. Raiders

There was a brief moment in the Patriots at Raiders game that finally looked like the offense had come to life, but as it has been with the limited good things that they have done this season, it was called back due to a holding penalty.

It was a questionable flag called on Hunter Henry, negating a 74-yard run for a touchdown by Ezekiel Elliott that would have tied the game in Las Vegas, a feat the Patriots have not been able to attain much this year. It was an absolute gut punch in a game with so much on the line and took away the best play by Elliott since he was signed as a free agent in August.

To make matters worse, the reception would've been the second-longest receiving touchdown of his career, only sitting behind an 83-yard run during his rookie season in 2016.

If there is any sort of silver lining to consider, it was a play that proved Elliott can be a solid contributor to the offense when given the opportunity. The run game has been essentially absent this year, which has been a massive hit to the offense since the rise of Rhamondre Stevenson was a significant factor in their success last season.

But a lot of that comes down to the poor protection from the offensive line, which has not allowed Elliott (and Stevenson) to be the type of player the team needs.

It would be a nice turn of events if we could see the offensive line not continue to be one of the more problematic parts of the team and allow the running backs to do their job, but it's not looking like that will happen with this current roster.

It feels like a waste of a signing when you see that Elliott is nearly the same player he was in Dallas last year.