5 takeaways from the Raiders’ Black Friday heartbreaker against the Chiefs

The Las Vegas Raiders snapped eight straight losses with a heartbreaking 19-17 loss at Arrowhead Stadium to the Kansas City Chiefs.

The Raiders (2-10) did a lot of things right, but it was their key mistake that will play the biggest role in this rivalry loss to GEHA Field.

Las Vegas outgained Kansas City in total yards (434-329). The Raiders also ran the football more effectively all season, totaling 116 yards on the ground and 4.6 yards per carry.

Nevertheless, it ended in a painful defeat against one of the Raiders’ hated rivals. Here are five takeaways from the Raiders’ Week 13 loss at Kansas City.

The fumbling overshadows the positive

Unfortunately, the game-ending fumble involving center Jackson Powers-Johnson, right guard Dylan Parham and quarterback Aidan O’Connell will overshadow many of the positive things that happened to the Raiders in this game.

Powers-Johnson found himself in prime position to potentially impress the Chiefs again in another holiday contest, snapping the football with time running out and O’Connell facing the line of scrimmage and unprepared for the snap.

While watching the replay, Parham taps Powers-Johnson’s thigh, appearing to warn the rookie to grab the football. The Chiefs pounced on the football and every attempt at a game-winning field goal failed in the blink of an eye.

The Raiders were at the Kansas City 32-yard line at the time of the snap. O’Connell took the blame for the debacle after the defeat.

For a team that has now lost eight straight, there will be plenty of blame to avoid.

Aidan O’Connell still delivered one of his best starts

Aside from the game-winning fumble, O’Connell delivered one of his best starts as the Raiders’ quarterback Friday at Arrowhead Stadium.

O’Connell completed 23 of 35 passes for 340 yards. There were a number of accurate passes, including his 58-yard dart to wide receiver Tre Tucker.

The Raiders will still select their franchise quarterback of the future in the 2025 NFL Draft, but they have a viable, long-term backup quarterback on hand in O’Connell.

Ameer Abdullah’s kickoff return almost turned the game on its head

Las Vegas running back Ameer Abdullah provided a big spark and nearly turned the game in the Raiders’ favor with his 68-yard punt return. Abdullah almost made it, but Kansas City’s Chamarri Conner managed to track him down at the KC 26-yard line.

But it didn’t take long for O’Connell and the Raiders to make money. O’Connell connected with Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers for a 33-yard touchdown three snaps later.

After forcing a KC three-and-out, O’Connell connected with Tucker for the big touchdown pass and the Raiders had their first and only lead of the day.

The Raiders didn’t complete enough drives early

One of the season’s costly themes reared its ugly head once again. The NFL is all about winning at the rim, and the Raiders left opportunities open early.

Las Vegas drove to the Kansas City 4-yard line on its second series, but a false start gave the Raiders pause. The Raiders would settle for a field goal after O’Connell was sacked by Kansas City defensive tackle Chris Jones on third down.

Another promising drive in the first half ended with a missed 56-yard field goal. Then in the second half, the Raiders were picked off on downs at the KC 30-yard line and the Raiders missed two more field goals of 55 and 58 yards.

Brock Bowers is inevitable

Right now, there are rave reviews every week for Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers. Even as teams make plans for Bowers, he continues to deliver week in and week out.

Bowers caught 10 passes for a new career-high 140 yards. The Raiders’ rookie reached the end zone for the fourth time in his young career and third time in Las Vegas’ last four games.

This article originally appeared on Raiders Wire: 5 takeaways from the Raiders’ Black Friday heartbreaker against the Chiefs