Tag: Las Vegas Raiders

Aidan O’Connell takes blame for Raiders debacle to end game vs Chiefs

If you’re searching for blame for the crushing ending that cost the Raiders to win in Kansas City, Aidan O’Connell says put it on him.

Everyone is still reeling from the ending to the Raiders vs Chiefs in Arrowhead today. With the Raiders in field goal range with 11 seconds left, looking to kick the game-winning field goal, they blew it.

Aidan O’Connell came out and lined up in shotgun to pass it. According to head coach Antonio Pierce, the reason for this formation was because O’Connell was to run some time off the clock and then throw the ball away before they came out to kick the field goal as time expired.

It was a risky play call for many reasons. And a bad snap was one of those risks. That’s what happened. Watch the full sequence as well as the confusion that ensued that took the game from a sure Raiders win to a defeat.

Kirk Herbstreit insisted in the broadcast that it wasn’t Aidan O’Connell’s fault. That Jackson Powers-Johnson simply snapped the ball too early. But O’Connell told a different story after the game, taking full responsibility for the miscue.

“It’s completely my fault,” said O’Connell after the game. “I was looking out to the right, making sure guys were set and I started clapping to…in my head I was thinking signal the ball to get the ball, but when I start clapping it tells Jackson to snap the ball. So, Jackson did exactly what he should have done and I clapped too early. That’s how the ball bounces sometimes. It didn’t go our way, so super tough, but there’s really nobody to blame by myself. That’s probably the hardest part to swallow.”

It’s hard to say, really, whether the blame falls completely on O’Connell or if he’s just doing the admirable thing and falling on the sword for his center.

Either way, it’s a good look for the young QB. He put the team in this position by completing several passes to get them in range for the field goal, and shouldn’t have been put in the shotgun on such a crucial play when the game was seemingly in the bag.

Chiefs clinched playoff berth after Week 13 victory over Raiders

The Kansas City #Chiefs clinched a playoff berth after their Week 13 victory over the Las Vegas #Raiders on Black Friday.

The Kansas City Chiefs guaranteed their spot in the AFC playoffs after securing a Week 13 win over the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

The Chiefs seemed destined to lose their matchup against Las Vegas after Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell led a heroic two-minute drill that got his team in field goal range facing a two-point deficit.

But, when rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson botched a snap to O’Connell with 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, Kansas City’s defense made the most of its opportunity to close out the game.

Star linebacker Nick Bolton lept on the ball, and the Chiefs took possession after the referees called a controversial penalty that Kansas City had the option to decline.

This was among the Chiefs’ sloppiest wins in a season that has seen the defending Super Bowl champions stack victories seemingly against all odds.

With its spot in the playoffs now secured, Kansas City officially controls its own destiny in the race to earn the AFC’s No. 1 seed, and a coveted bye in the Wild Card round.

Chiefs clinch playoff spot in miraculous fashion against Raiders on Black Friday

Kansas City’s good fortune continued as it punched its ticket to the postseason by surviving against the Raiders.

The Kansas City Chiefs look like a deeply flawed team. They’re also 11-1 on the season.

Sometimes it’s better to be lucky than good, and the Chiefs were once again the beneficiaries of good fortune in a Black Friday win over the Las Vegas Raiders as they survived yet another close call to remain in the driver’s seat of the AFC.

Leading 19-17 late in the game, the Raiders had two chances in the final minutes. The first ended with a missed 58-yard field goal from Daniel Carlson, but with just 15 seconds left in the game on its ensuing drive, Las Vegas was well within Carlson’s range.

That was until a snap came before quarterback Aidan O’Connell was ready for it and bounced off his chest, just to be recovered by Kansas City to ice the game.

With that lucky play, the Chiefs held on to win 19-17 and punched their ticket to the NFL playoffs. Kansas City is currently a game up on the two-loss Buffalo Bills, who take on the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday night and have a head-to-head victory over Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

Final score: Chiefs defeat Raiders 19-17 after unbelievable penalty

The Kansas City #Chiefs earned a 19-17 win in Week 13 after an unbelievable penalty by Las Vegas #Raiders center Jackson Powers-Johnson.

The Kansas City Chiefs nearly lost their second game of the 2024 regular season against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13 but were bailed out by an unbelievable penalty on the matchup’s penultimate play.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell marched Las Vegas downfield on a heroic drive that seemed to have his team in a position to knock off the defending Super Bowl champions on a last-second field goal.

But, when rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson mistakenly snapped the ball to an unsuspecting O’Connell on a crucial third down with 15 seconds left in the game, the Chiefs made the most of the Raiders’ miscue.

Linebacker Nick Bolton lept on the ball, which had deflected off of O’Connell and onto the ground.

A flag, which was assumed to be for a false start on Powers-Johnson, was thrown, and Las Vegas seemed poised to retake possession.

But, after officials on the field deliberated, an illegal shift was called, which gave Kansas City the option to decline the penalty and gain possession.

Patrick Mahomes kneeled on the game’s final play to officially clinch the Chiefs a 19-17 win after a forgettable outing by the reigning Super Bowl champions.

Raiders vs Chiefs: Botched snap steals defeat from jaws of victory for Raiders

What looked like a sure win for the Raiders ended in heartbreak with a fumbled snap and a Chiefs improbable victory.

It was back to the scene of the crime for the Raiders and the Chiefs. The last time the Chiefs lost on their home first was Christmas Day of last season to these very same Raiders. This time a lot more wins separated the two teams. But it didn’t matter. This Black Friday was not going to be a cakewalk win for the AFC top team Chiefs.

The first half was a defensive battle mostly and it was a one-score game at 10-3 going into the locker room.

Two third quarter field goals for the Chiefs would put some space between the teams, and made it look like the same old second half collapsing Raiders. 

And suddenly it wasn’t. And it happened quickly.

Off the kickoff from the second field goa Ameer Abdullah broke off a 59-yard kick return. Two plays later, he would drop one into Brock Bowers for a 33-yard touchdown to bring it to a one-score game again at 16-10.

The defense would force a three-and-out and on the second play of the Raiders possession, O’Connell launched one to Tre Tucker up the left sideline for a 69-yard touchdown. After the point after, the Raiders took at 17-16 lead over the Chiefs, giving flashbacks of their improbable win in Kansas City last season.

That lead didn’t last long. The Chiefs drove quickly down the field on the ensuing possession. But the Raiders defense held up at the end again, to limit them to a field goal and a 19-17 lead.

That’s where it would stay heading into the final minutes and the Raiders began driving again into KC territory.

A Bowers 14-yard catch put the ball at the KC 40-yard-line. But they would get no farther. George Karlaftis gets in the way of a pass into the flat to bring up third and 11. Then Justin Reid swatted one down.

With the ball at the 41 with 2:21 left, the Raiders brought out Daniel Carlson for his third attempt outside 55 yards. He had missed the previous two from 55 and 56 and this one was from 58 yards out. The kick was low and wide.

All was not lost, however. The Raiders defense stopped the Chiefs for another three-and-out, while taking just 21 seconds off the clock, giving the Raiders two minutes to again try and drive for a game-winning score.

A 25-yard connection from O’Connell to Bowers put the ball at midfield. An 11-yard pass to Jakobi Meyers and a seven-yard pass to Abdullah put the Raiders in field goal range with mere seconds left. Then…disaster.

O’Connell was not expecting the shotgun snap from center Jackson Powers Johnson and the Chiefs recovered the fumble to hold onto the win.

Brutal ending for the Raiders who had the game all but won.

Big question for me is why was he even in shotgun in this position?

Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was ‘demonstrably upset’ after being sacked vs. Raiders

#Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes was “demonstrably upset” after he was sacked by #Raiders DL Maxx Crosby in Week 13.

The Kansas City Chiefs offensive line has struggled to keep quarterback Patrick Mahomes upright this season, and the reigning Super Bowl MVP is starting to get a bit fed up with his less-than-stellar protection.

After a long touchdown gave the Las Vegas Raiders the lead on Friday night, Mahomes drove the Chiefs’ offense into the Raiders’ red zone.

In desperate need of a touchdown, Kansas City seemed to be on the brink of taking a lead over Las Vegas, but a brutal third-down sack by Raiders edge rusher Maxx Crosby made the Chiefs settle for three points.

Mahomes was “demonstrably upset” after the play, according to a tweet by veteran sports columnist Vahe Gregorian of the Kansas City Star.

Take a look at the sack to see why Mahomes was so frustrated:

Expect the Chiefs’ coaching staff to take a hard look at its offensive line as Kansas City pushes toward the playoffs.

Watch: Aidan O’Connell throws 2 TD passes late to take lead over Chiefs

Two huge throws by Aidan O’Connell to Brock Bowers and Tre Tucker has the Raiders storm back early in the fourth to take the lead in KC.

It was getting late and the Raiders were showing little signs of life on offense. The Chiefs were up 16-3 and the way things were going, that seemed like enough to win it.

Then things changed very quickly.

Aidan O’Connell threw a couple touchdown passes to take the lead in Kansas City.

The first was a drop in the bucket to Brock Bowers.

Bowers had a one-handed grab a bit earlier, so he was showing that he was where they need to go to get the tough yards.

The defense forced a Chiefs three-and-out, and on the first play of the Raiders’ possession, O’Connell threw a perfect deep ball to a streaking Tre Tucker up the left sideline for another touchdown…and the lead.

Suddenly it was a 17-16 Raiders lead which no doubt had the Chiefs having flashbacks to their loss to the Raiders on Christmas Day last season.

Chiefs vs. Raiders: Patrick Mahomes finds Justin Watson for record-setting touchdown

Patrick Mahomes took sole possession of the #Chiefs’ all-time passing touchdowns record in Kansas City’s Week 13 matchup against the #Raiders.

Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes has set a number of records throughout his time in the NFL, and he made even more history in the defending Super Bowl champions’ Week 13 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Black Friday.

After struggling to score for most of the first half against Las Vegas, Mahomes was able to put a touchdown drive together as the two-minute warning approached in the first half.

The reigning Super Bowl MVP found veteran wide receiver Justin Watson in the endzone, which lifted him over Chiefs legend Len Dawson on Kansas City’s all-time touchdown passes leaderboard.

Take a look at the record-setting touchdown, which was posted to Twitter by the Chiefs’ official account:

Dawson was considered to be the best quarterback in franchise history before Mahomes meteoric rise to stardom.

Stay tuned to see if Mahomes can continue keeping Kansas City’s offense in gear to help the Chiefs earn their eleventh regular season win.

Chiefs vs. Raiders: Chris Jones makes history with second-quarter sack

Chris Jones passed a legend on Kansas City’s all-time franchise leaderboard for sacks during the #Chiefs’ Week 13 matchup against the #Raiders

The Kansas City Chiefs’ defense has struggled recently after dominating the first half of the season, but it seems the tides may be turning.

After the Chiefs kicked a field goal in the first quarter to take a 3-0 lead over the Las Vegas Raiders, Kansas City’s defense took some time to get into gear.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell carved up the Chiefs’ secondary on a ten-play, 83-yard drive that got Las Vegas into Kansas City’s red zone.

But, just when it seemed that the Raiders might take an early lead, Chiefs pass-rusher Chris Jones sacked O’Connell, which stymied Las Vegas’ offense on a key third down.

Jones advanced his position on Kansas City’s all-time franchise leaderboard for sacks on the play, passing legendary Chiefs edge rusher Justin Houston.

Take a look at Jones’ outstanding effort on the play in this video, which was posted by the team’s official account on Twitter:

Expect the All-Pro lineman to continue putting on a show as Friday’s game progresses.

‘Administrative error’ by referees mars first quarter of Chiefs’ matchup vs. Raiders

An “administrative error” marred the first quarter of the Kansas City #Chiefs’ Week 13 matchup against the Las Vegas #Raiders on Black Friday.

A mistake by Clay Martin’s crew of referees marred the Kansas City Chiefs’ Black Friday matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 13.

When Las Vegas punted to Kansas City midway through the first quarter, officials indicated that the Chiefs had committed a holding penalty.

The perfectly-placed punt, which went out of bounds at the one-yard line, seemed to have pinned Kansas City deep in its own territory.

But, after a commercial break, viewers were informed that an “administrative error” had occurred and that Martin and his crew were still figuring out where to place the ball.

Ultimately, the penalty call was changed to be enforced against Las Vegas, and the Chiefs took possession at the Raiders’ 23-yard line.

Veteran Kansas City Star sports columnist Vahe Gregorian explained what happened in a post on Twitter:

Stay tuned to see if Martin’s crew makes another mistake during the Chiefs’ matchup against Las Vegas.