For the Raiders and Chiefs, it was back to the crime scene. The Chiefs' last home loss was against these same Raiders on Christmas Day last season. This time the two teams were separated by significantly more victories. But it didn't matter. This Black Friday shouldn't be a walk in the park for the AFC top team Chiefs.
The first half was mostly a defensive battle, and before the locker room the game ended with a score of 10-3.
Two field goals for the Chiefs in the third quarter would put some distance between the teams and make it look like the same old Raiders collapsing in the second half.
And suddenly it wasn't anymore. And it happened quickly.
Right on the second field kickoff, Goa Ameer Abdullah fended off a 59-yard kick return. Two plays later, he dropped Brock Bowers for a 33-yard touchdown, making it a one-score game again at 16-10.
The defense forced a three-pointer and on the Raiders' second play, O'Connell threw a three-pointer to Tre Tucker down the left sideline for a 69-yard touchdown. After the ensuing point, the Raiders took a 17-16 lead over the Chiefs, reminiscent of their improbable win in Kansas City last season.
This lead didn't last long. The Chiefs quickly drove down the field on the ensuing possession. But in the end, the Raiders defense held firm again and limited themselves to a field goal and a lead of 19:17.
It stayed there until the final minutes and the Raiders once again pushed into KC territory.
A 14-yard catch by Bowers brought the ball to the KC 40-yard line. But they wouldn't get anywhere. George Karlaftis interferes with a pass to the flat for third-and-11. Then Justin Reid hits one down.
With the ball at the 41 with 2:21 left, the Raiders picked off Daniel Carlson for his third attempt from outside 55 yards. He had missed the previous two from 55 and 56 yards, this time from 58 yards. The kick was deep and wide.
However, all was not lost. The Raiders defense stopped the Chiefs for another three-pointer with just 21 seconds left, giving the Raiders two minutes to try again for a game-winning score.
A 25-yard connection from O'Connell to Bowers brought the ball to midfield. An 11-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers and a seven-yard pass to Abdullah put the Raiders within field goal range with just a few seconds left. Then…disaster.
O'Connell didn't expect center Jackson Powers to grab Johnson in the shotgun, and the Chiefs recovered the fumble to preserve the win.
Brutal end for the Raiders, who had almost won the game.
The big question for me is why he was carrying the shotgun in that position in the first place.
