The Las Vegas Raiders impressively put themselves in position to upset the Kansas City Chiefs on Black Friday. That's until a reckless miscue in the final seconds snatched defeat out of the hands of victory.
Down two points with 15 seconds left to play and in field goal range, a botched snap turnover was the end result of Las Vegas' potential game-winning drive -- a deflating end to an otherwise thrilling comeback attempt.
Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell, who said the plan was to take some time off the clock with an incompletion downfield on the play, took the blame for the crucial mistake.
"It's completely my fault," O'Connell said. "I was looking out to the right to make sure the guys were set and I started clapping. In my head I was thinking, signal the ball to get the ball, but when I start clapping it tells Jackson to basically snap the ball. Jackson did exactly what he should have done and I clapped too early.
"... Super tough, but there's really no one to blame but myself. So, that's probably the hardest part to swallow."
The Raiders might not have even had a chance if it wasn't for O'Connell, who completed 5 of 7 passes for 55 yards during a seamless two-minute drill which began from their own 8-yard line. And while the would-be field goal attempt from the Chiefs' 32-yard line was no sure thing -- especially considering kicker Daniel Carlson missed three FGs on the day -- O'Connell's gaffe was the enduring blemish.
"Last play, there was a lot going on," head coach Antonio Pierce said. "From the officiating, to the flag, to the ball being snapped. I got to look at film."
The flag on the play was for an illegal shift called on the Raiders, which was declined. Patrick Mahomes took the Chiefs into victory formation in the game's final play, securing a 19-17 win to become the first team to clinch a 2024 playoff berth.
The Raiders, on the other hand, became the first AFC team eliminated from the playoffs following Friday's loss, but they were certainly game against their longtime rival.
O'Connell was major part of Kansas City's Black Friday scare. Playing in his first game back from a fractured thumb he suffered in Week 7, the Raiders' second-year QB woke up a stagnant offense late in the third quarter with several splash plays through the air. A 33-yard touchdown to Brock Bowers and a 58-yard TD strike to Tre Tucker earned the Raiders a 1-point lead to begin the fourth quarter.
Mahomes and Co. saw struggles of their own thanks to a Raiders defense that consistently got after the Chiefs' star QB and was resilient in the red zone. After Kansas City converted a chip-shot FG in the final frame to take the lead, Las Vegas attempted a 58-yarder with a little over two minutes left to play but Carlson's kicking foot hit the turf on the go-ahead attempt, booting it well short. Carlson had also missed two 55-plus yard attempts prior to his final kick.
The Raiders persevered and got the ball back thanks to a little help from a chance-taking Chiefs offense wanting to secure the win with a first down. O'Connell nearly made them pay, but dropped the ball on the final snap.
"Proud of them -- just proud of my team, proud of our team, proud to fight." Pierce said. "We came up short, yet again. That's the world champs. That's twice now I thought this season we played them very hard. Had opportunities there to win it and put ourselves in position to win it. The record is what it is, but this is a team that's prideful, that's playing for one another. There's no quit.
"... I don't know what you keep saying after losses, right? We just got to keep battling. They'll have some time off and we'll regroup, but one thing I'm not going to take away is the effort, the pride, and the way they compete."
The Raiders (2-10) will get a few extra days to regroup before they go on the road to face the Tampa Bay Buccaneers (5-6) in Week 14.
