‘What do you say?’: Raiders lose to Chiefs in heartbreaking finish
KANSAS CITY, Mo. — The Raiders were so close to stealing a win against the Chiefs on Friday at Arrowhead Stadium.
The only question seemed to be whether they’d break out the celebratory cigars in the locker room like they did after their Christmas Day victory in Kansas City last season.
Then, disaster struck.
The Raiders, in the most inexplicable way yet, crumbled in a 19-17 loss that had to be seen to be believed. Multiple players took the blame for one of the most heartbreaking finishes in franchise history.
“I’m still trying to process what just happened,” running back Ameer Abdullah said after the team’s eighth straight loss.
“How it ended…what do you say?” left tackle Kolton Miller said.
Crazy finish
The Raiders, trailing by two points, drove from their 8-yard line to the Chiefs’ 32-yard line with 15 seconds remaining.
They were in position to win with a field goal from kicker Daniel Carlson. Quarterback Aidan O’Connell, making his first start since Week 7 because of a fractured right thumb, spiked the ball to set up a third-and-3.
The Raiders felt good about Carlson’s chances even though he had missed three of his four field-goal attempts. But they didn’t want to give quarterback Patrick Mahomes an opportunity to respond.
So, the team’s plan was for O’Connell to throw the ball as far as he could on third down to take more time off the clock.
“We just wanted to stop the ball and throw it out of bounds,” Raiders coach Antonio Pierce said. “The ball was at the 32-yard line, so we could kill another four or five seconds and kick a 49-yard field goal.”
That’s when things got crazy.
O’Connell clapped his hands after the Raiders broke their huddle to alert his teammates to hurry and get lined up. Once he did, right guard Dylan Parham nudged rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson.
Powers-Johnson then snapped the ball to O’Connell, who was lined up in the shotgun.
The only problem was O’Connell wasn’t ready for the snap. He was looking to his right as the ball bounced off him and hit the turf. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton fell on the fumble at his team’s 38-yard line.
Multiple officials threw flags on the play, but after a brief discussion they decided to call the Raiders (2-10) for an illegal shift. Kansas City (11-1) declined the penalty to seal the win and clinch a playoff berth.
Who was at fault?
Both O’Connell and Powers-Johnson took responsibility for the miscue after the game.
Quarterbacks often clap their hands to alert the center to snap the ball when verbal communication is difficult in a loud stadium. In this case, O’Connell was trying to tell his teammates to hustle. But he understands why Powers-Johnson interpreted the clapping the way he did.
“Jackson did exactly what he should have done,” O’Connell said. “I clapped too early.”
Powers-Johnson, after his first game snapping to O’Connell, refused to be let off the hook.
“I’m going to take full responsibility, and I’m going to put that loss on me,” Powers-Johnson said. “I thought he was calling for the snap. I snapped the ball. … So I’ll have to go back and look at the film and see, but I’ve got to be better in that situation. We’re about to beat a really great team and those miscommunications can’t happen.”
Bitter pill
The mistake wiped out the Raiders’ best effort in weeks.
O’Connell completed 23 of his 35 passes for a career-high 340 yards and two touchdowns. Rookie tight end Brock Bowers had 10 catches for a career-high 140 yards and a touchdown.
Running back Sincere McCormick added 64 yards on 12 carries. The Raiders, who entered Friday as the NFL’s worst rushing team, had a season-high 116 yards on the ground against a Chiefs team that had allowed the third-fewest rushing yards per game in the league through 12 weeks.
The team’s defense also harassed Mahomes and the Chiefs all day. The Raiders finished with four sacks and had five tackles for loss.
Solid performances on both sides of the ball helped the team overcome a 10-3 halftime deficit. The Raiders took a 17-16 lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when O’Connell threw a 58-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver Tre Tucker.
The Chiefs responded with a field-goal drive to take the lead back. The Raiders never scored again, though it looked like they had a chance to before the fumbled snap ensured their fate.
“It’s just hard when it comes down to one play,” O’Connell said. “You’d trade the whole game for a win. It’s just hard. I feel bad for the guys. It’s a tough last play.”
Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.
