How the Raiders squandered a golden opportunity to beat the Chiefs in the final seconds

KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Nothing could have gone wrong for the Las Vegas Raiders in the first six plays of what could have been a game-winning game. The Kansas City Chiefs went offside on the first play of the possession, and then quarterback Aidan O’Connell completed five straight passes to get the Raiders to the Chiefs’ 32-yard line.

The Raiders trailed 19-17 when O’Connell put the ball in the net with 14 seconds left in regulation, but they appeared to be on their way to pulling off an unlikely upset. However, with the next snapshot, everything would collapse.

When the Raiders broke their huddle with nine seconds left to play, O’Connell clapped his hands to signal his teammates to quickly line up. With six seconds left on the clock, O’Connell stopped clapping and looked to his right to communicate with receiver Tre Tucker. When he looked to his left to do the same to receiver Jakobi Meyers, the ball was snapped. It deflected off his bicep, bounced around the field and bounced off right tackle DJ Glaze and into the waiting arms of Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton.

The Raiders fumble it, the Chiefs recover it to seal the game ‼️#LVvsKC on Prime Video
Will continue to stream #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/WvNvUONRM5

– NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2024

As a result, the Raiders went from being able to win to suffering their eighth straight defeat. All Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes had to do was punt until the final minute to propel Las Vegas to 2-10 on the season.

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Chiefs survive against Raiders after critical Las Vegas fumble: Takeaways

The Raiders’ game-winning fumble was the result of a miscommunication. Right after O’Connell finished clapping, right guard Dylan Parham tapped rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson. In the three games in which Parham played next to each other, there were times when Parham did so as a signal for Powers-Johnson to snap the ball. (It happened just last week against the Denver Broncos.) Powers-Johnson grabbed the ball even though O’Connell wasn’t looking for it.

What a WILD ending to Black Friday 👀 pic.twitter.com/JtYRVva6Zy

– NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2024

During his post-match press conference, O’Connell took the blame for his clapping, which can be used as a sign to throw the ball away when the crowd is too loud for a verbal cue.

“The clock ran out. I tried to line up the guys,” O’Connell said. “It’s completely my fault. …Jackson did exactly what he should have done. … And then it’s just the way football jumps sometimes. It didn’t go according to our wishes. It’s super hard, but there’s really no one to blame but myself. That’s probably the hardest part to digest.”

Powers-Johnson, meanwhile, said He was to blame for the mishap.

“I thought he was going to demand the snap and I grabbed the ball,” Powers-Johnson said. “I have to be better in this situation. We were about to beat a really great team. Such misunderstandings cannot happen. I take full responsibility. I will blame this loss on myself.”

Parham didn’t speak to reporters in the locker room, but Powers-Johnson refused to blame him. The newbie didn’t think the noise should matter.

“We has not fallen short,” said Powers-Johnson. “I came up short.”

The Chiefs defenders signal after recovering from a botched snap by the Raiders late in the fourth quarter. (Denny Medley/Imagn Images)

The truth is that O’Connell, Powers-Johnson and Parham all contributed to the fumble that ended the Raiders’ surprise attack. But what also needs examination is head coach Antonio Pierce’s decision-making.

It appeared as if the Raiders were trying to make a quick play to shorten the distance for kicker Daniel Carlson. It would have been a 50-yarder if they had kicked from the Chiefs’ 32-yard line. While Carlson is a former All-Pro who has made over 30 field goals of 50 or more yards over his career, he had already missed three shots on Friday – from 56, 55 and 58 yards. It would have made sense to make his final attempt easier.

Surprisingly, that wasn’t the Raiders’ plan.

“We wanted to throw the ball away and waste another four or five seconds and kick the field goal,” Pierce said.

If that was the intent, the Raiders should have simply waited longer to shoot the ball after O’Connell’s completion to running back Ameer Abdullah. Making another play opened the door to unnecessary risks, such as O’Connell being ejected or having a deflected pass intercepted. A botched snap can always happen, of course, but there’s more room for error on a shotgun snap than when you’re under center, which is what O’Connell did at the spike. Pierce’s decision to make another play ultimately helped open the way for the fumble that cost the Raiders the game.

Another controversial element of the game was that a penalty was awarded. A referee appeared to run in from the sideline and signal for a false start penalty against the Raiders – but the infraction was converted into an illegal postponement. The Raiders players and coaches protested the change because a false start is a dead ball penalty and they heard an official blow the play dead whistle and therefore the fumble wouldn’t have counted. But the illegal shift call allowed play to continue, so the Chiefs simply declined the penalty and the fumble was sustained.

An obviously frustrated Pierce declined to answer when asked to share the explanation he received from the referees.

The referees confirmed an illegal attack substitution, but the Chiefs recovered the back pass.#BlackFridayNFL pic.twitter.com/9nM9AF0tZa

– NFL on Prime Video (@NFLonPrime) November 29, 2024

“It is what it is,” Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby said. “You can’t control everything. (Things) happen. It’s disappointing to say the least.”

The athlete reached out to the NFL after the game seeking clarity on the official’s decision on the play. Michael Signora, NFL senior vice president of football and international communications, responded via email.

“If the clock had run to the point, an illegal substitution would result in a false start by rule,” Signora wrote. “Because the clock was stopped (due to the spike on the second-down play), an illegal shift is a live-ball foul.”

A false start occurs when a player moves illegally after being lined up but before the ball is snapped. The Raiders were called for an illegal substitution because the ball was snapped before they lined up. According to the letter of the rule, the referees made the right decision.

The disastrous end to Friday’s game will overshadow the fact that the Raiders put in a valiant performance against the back-to-back defending Super Bowl champions. O’Connell threw for a career-high 340 yards after a five-week absence due to a broken thumb. Running back Sincere McCormick continued to spark a previously dormant ground game, averaging 5.3 yards per carry. Tight end Brock Bowers had another sensational performance with 10 catches for 140 yards and a touchdown. Receiver Jakobi Meyers had six catches for 97 yards and fellow wideout Tre Tucker had a score of 58 yards. The defense harassed Mahomes throughout the game, sacking him five times and largely keeping the Chiefs’ offense under control. Running back Ameer Abdullah excelled as a returner. This collective effort brought them to the precipice of victory.

“They fought hard until the end,” Pierce said. “All three phases contributed to us getting to this position at some point.”

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As the reality of the loss became clear, Crosby still found it difficult to accept it.

“I don’t know how to explain it,” the three-time Pro Bowler said. “You can’t describe it. It’s so disappointing for the boys because everyone out there is literally putting their lives on the line. … We’re 13.5-point underdogs that nobody thinks can come in there and win, and we had them right on the ropes. It’s disappointing, but I’m so proud of my teammates.”

Pierce instilled confidence in the Raiders during his nine games as interim head coach last year, but his first full season in the position was marked by the team continually finding ways to waste winnable games. While there is no doubt about their determination, results must improve at some point.

“I’m proud of my team,” Pierce said. “The record is what it is, but this is a team that is proud and plays for each other. There is no giving up. There is no lowering of the head or chin.

“But I don’t want to keep saying that after losses, do I? We just have to keep fighting. They have some time off and we regroup. But there’s one thing I won’t take away from them: the effort, the pride and the way they competed.”

(Photo: David Eulitt / Getty Images)