Raiders vs. Chiefs ending, explained: How Las Vegas bungled upset bid vs. KC
As has been the case all season long, the Las Vegas Raiders found a way to lose the Week 13 game to the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Raiders showed some toughness in their 19-17 loss to the Chiefs on Black Friday but shot themselves in the foot on several occasions throughout the contest to thwart their bid to break their losing streak.
The biggest issue was three missed field goals by kicker Daniel Carlson, who also had a chance to take the lead with just over two minutes remaining but missed a 58-yard attempt.
Truth be told, he shouldn’t have even been given the opportunity after missing two other attempts from 50-plus, but head coach Antonio Pierce felt that was the best course of action on a fourth-and-11 instead of going for it.
Even with the missed field goals, the Raiders still had a chance to win the game in the closing seconds, but yet another self-inflicted wound ended Las Vegas’ upset bid.
Raiders vs. Chiefs ending, explained
With just 15 seconds remaining in the game and the Raiders on the 32-yard line and trailing by two points, Las Vegas center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball to quarterback Aidan O’Connell, who clearly wasn’t ready for it, which put the ball on the ground, allowing the Chiefs to recover. The Raiders were also called for an illegal formation penalty that was declined after the Chiefs recovered the ball.
However, there was some confusion, as officials called the botched snap a backward pass when those are typically considered a fumble. Whatever the case may be, the mistake cost the Raiders a chance at a game-winning field goal.
On the surface, one could easily blame Powers-Johnson solely, but guard Dylan Parham appeared to tap JPJ to signal for the snap. Clearly that was not the right call, as evidenced by O’Connell having no clue the snap was coming.
RG Dylan Parham tapped the center and told him to snap it. https://t.co/qdlSPO9gis
— Joe Piazza (@LAOJoe) November 29, 2024
If you want to take it a step further, one could certainly argue that the offense shouldn’t have been on the field in that situation to begin with, although with Carlson’s struggles, it’s understandable that Las Vegas wanted to get closer.
With the loss, the Raiders fall to 2-10 on the season.
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