The Raiders had a chance to upset the Chiefs in Kansas City, but a big last-second blunder cost them dearly and resulted in a 19-17 loss for Las Vegas on Black Friday.
After getting into field goal range with a few seconds left in the game, center Jackson Powers-Johnson grabbed the football before quarterback Aidan O'Connell was ready for the third-down play, resulting in a fumble the Chiefs (11-1) finished ) recovered.
The error derailed a spirited performance by Las Vegas on national television. Here are the winners and losers after the Raiders lost their eighth straight game and fell to 2-10.
Losers: C Jackson Powers-Johnson and G Dylan Parham
Let's get the losers out of the way first this week, as many Raiders performed well this week. The game's fumble wasn't entirely Powers-Johnson's fault. Guard Dylan Parham tapped him on the knee, typically a signal to snap the ball.
With this move the Chiefs secure a spot in the playoffs:
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter)
After the game, : He clapped too early for the snap, giving Parham and Powers-Johnson momentum. But it was clearly a horrific sight for the Raiders' two linemen.
Coach Antonio Pierce could have kicked a field goal instead of even running a third-down play. He said after the game that he planned to throw the ball away and waste a few seconds before trying to win with a field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson on fourth down.
Loser: K Daniel Carlson
Carlson was denied the opportunity to make up for three missed field goals. They were all long attempts, including a 58-yard attempt when the Raiders were up 19-17 on the drive before the fateful late fumble.
Loser: OT Kolton Miller
One of Carlson's long misses came after a sack given up by offensive tackle Kolton Miller. The play resulted in a 15-yard loss and negated a spectacular one-handed catch by tight end Brock Bowers early in the drive.
Karlaftis just fired O'Connell
— Clinton Cole (@cdcole55)
Winner: QB Aidan O'Connell
O'Connell recovered from injury after a short week and retired. He finished the game with 340 passing yards and two touchdowns, completing 23 of his 35 attempts. O'Connell gave a glimpse of the extent of this offense had he started the year as a starter and not been injured.
His last-second fumble contribution is definitely a downer for O'Connell, but overall he played exceptionally well.
Winner: TE Brock Bowers
Bowers took advantage of the national stage and delivered a spectacular performance. His 33-yard touchdown reception came after an impressive one-handed catch on the drive before. He finished with 140 receiving yards and caught 10 of his 14 targets.
When in doubt… FEED BROCK 🍽️ | 📺
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders)
Winner: WR Tre Tucker
The Raiders' defense forced a three-and-out for Kansas City after Bowers' touchdown, and the offense responded with a 58-yard touchdown bomb from O'Connell to wide receiver Tre Tucker. The play gave Las Vegas a 17-16 lead early in the fourth quarter.
TO THE HOUSE 🏠 | 📺
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders)
Winner: RB Ameer Abdullah
Bowers' touchdown grab was set up by a timely kickoff return by running back Ameer Abdullah. The Raiders trailed 16-3 before Abdullah ran the kickback 68 yards to the Chiefs' 26-yard line.
Then go away, Ameer 🚀 | 📺
— Las Vegas Raiders (@Raiders)
Winner: RB Sincere McCormick
The Raiders ran the ball well on Friday, finishing the game with an impressive 116 yards on the ground. They couldn't have done it without drafting running back Sincere McCormick. He had 64 yards on 12 carries, an average of 5.3 yards per attempt.
Winner: OC Scott Turner
The Raiders outscored the Chiefs in this game, gaining 434 yards, compared to 329 yards for Kansas City. Offensive coordinator Scott Turner deserves a lot of credit, especially for adapting quickly to O'Connell's abilities following QB Gardner Minshew's injury last week.
Winner: DE K'Lavon Chaisson
The Raiders had mixed coverages on defense all afternoon, and when they weren't blitzing, defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson provided a ton of pressure. He had multiple QB sacks, a tackle for loss and three QB hits. His pressure was sudden and impactful as he flew past the Chiefs offensive line on multiple occasions.
K'Lavon Chaisson went right around him and grabbed the bag 😤 on Prime Video
Will continue to stream
Winner: DE Maxx Crosby
This game was advertised as a battle between Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes and Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby. Crosby was under pressure to perform and came through brilliantly. He had one QB sack, two tackles for loss and four QB hits. He was a threat all afternoon, despite the constant attention of the Chiefs' pass protection; Crosby was even on the team three times at times.
Maxx Crosby calls for the triple team 😳 on Prime Video
Will continue to stream
Winner: DC Patrick Graham
No courage, no glory. Raiders defensive coordinator Patrick Graham played a lot of man coverage and relied on his cornerbacks to play one-on-one as he called for the blitz early and often. His coverage was also mixed, with Crosby dropping into coverage at least once. Overall, his game plan worked extremely well.
Winner: HC Antonio Pierce
Despite the loss and his offense's late mistake, coach Antonio Pierce had a good day overall. His team played hard and Turner unlocked the running game that Pierce relied on this season.
In hindsight, he should have tried to make a potentially game-winning field goal on third down before the infamous fumble snap. But it's also easy to imagine that the Raiders would attempt a field goal and win if they hadn't fumbled. Overall, this effort will greatly improve Pierce's job security.
However, at the end of that day, the Raiders continue to lose. Will they win another game this season? They have a long week to plan a trip to Tampa Bay on December 8th to face the Buccaneers.
