Raiders’ quick slants: Chiefs Week 13 edition

Las Vegas’ grit on display in upset bid only for an unbelievable snafu resulting in a 19-17 defeat in Kansas City

Displaying true grit — Check.

Playing the style of football the head coach wanted from the get — Double Check.

A patented miscue to thwart the upset bid over the defending Super Bowl champions — Emphatic Check.

In one game on Black Friday, Antonio Pierce got to see it all as his Las Vegas Raiders fell 19-17 to the Kansas City Chiefs.

“They fought their asses off until the end,” Pierce said in the post game press conference. “All three phases at some point contributed to help us get into that position.”

A bird’s eye view of the play showcased wide receivers on the boundaries not being set when the ball was mistakenly snapped, thus there’s no controversy on the actual call on the field.

What’s done is done.

“It is what it is,” a somber Maxx Crosby said in the locker room after the game, as the defensive end was in disbelief of what happened. “You can’t control everything. (Stuff) happens. It’s disappointing, to say the least.”

Bright side: It’s quite clear his Silver & Black are playing hard despite a disconcerting 2024 season and Pierce’s desert marauders were mere seconds away from potentially landing another uppercut to the AFC West dominating group — in Arrowhead.

Down side: What should have been a tried and true silver lining in a bleak year, instead highlighted just how far the Raiders are from becoming a consistent winner. Instead of a fierce Pierce jaw jacking haymaker, the end result was an oxygen depriving gut punch in a year with plenty of them.

Las Vegas sits at 2-10 overall and is in a sprint towards the No. 1 overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft while Kansas City (11-1) is again gearing towards another post season dance. While the Chiefs’ eked-out win post Thanksgiving holiday certainly gives the rest of the playoff participants some keen film to pour over, the Raiders likely — once again — opened Kansas City’s eyes. Las Vegas’ Christmas Day win in Kansas City was the kick in the butt the Chiefs used enroute to another Lombardi Trophy and it wouldn’t surprise Andy Reid’s group using the win on Black Friday as a catalyst to another run.

But here’s the real kicker, folks: The Raiders called a throwaway play on that ill-fated snap.

“We were going to throw the ball away and waste four or five more seconds and kick the field goal,” Pierce said.

That’s… a call… I guess. An egregious one that parallels the tomfoolery former Chicago Bears head coach Matt Eberflus engaged in during his team’s 23-20 loss to the Detroit Lions. A defeat that led to the dismissal of Eberflus.

Because if the end game plan was to drop back, bleed the clock before throwing it out of bounds, and then kicking the potential game-winning field goal, the best route for the Raiders would’ve been to bleed the clock further after quarterback Aidan O’Connell hooked up with running back Ameer Abdullah (seven yard pass that saw the veteran tailback stumble and fall inbounds instead of trying to get out of bounds), then wait to spike the ball on 2nd-and-3 instead of right away to stop the clock with 15 seconds left.

Why?

Pierce admitted his team had no intentions of getting closer to give kicker Daniel Carlson (who only made one of his four kicks in the game) an easier attempt — he missed a trio of field goal attempts.

Yet, hindsight is always 20/20 and what we got instead of was Raiders team hastily trying to get lined up for the throwaway play and miscommunication resulted in a fumble the Chiefs recovered to end the ball game.

Don’t let the controversy over the penalty and fumble overshadow another prime example of the Raiders coaching staff mishandling yet another situation. Eight-straight losses are a testament to that.

Let’s hit the quick slants as the Silver & Black’s hopes for victory vanished with the errant snap:

—The Raiders outgained the Chiefs 434 total yards to 329 total yards. Las Vegas’ aerial attack accounted for 318 net passing yards to Kansas City’s 266. And the Raiders ground game produced 116 total yards compared to the Chiefs 63.

—O’Connell was poised, confident, and showcased his arm strength going 25 of 35 for 340 yards with two touchdowns. He was sacked a trio of times losing 22 yards. But the second-year signal caller went deep and hit paydirt on both of those throws for touchdowns.

—Running back Sincere McCormick displayed the power and low center of gravity that makes him a balanced runner, but more importantly, he showcased the vision to dart through holes as he produced 64 yards on 12 carries.

—Raiders rookie tight end Brock Bowers was a highlight reel on Black Friday with 10 grabs for 140 yards and a touchdown. His ability to put his shoulder into defenders then using his speed to create separation is a sight to behold.

—Wide receiver Tre Tucker was on the receiving end of the 58-yard bomb from O’Connell that resulted in a scintillating score. It was the fleet-footed receivers lone catch, but what a reception it was. Jakobi Meyers hauled in six passes for 97 yards.

—Raiders edge rusher K’Lavon Chaisson had a career game with 1.5 sacks to go along with three total tackles (one stop for loss) and three quarterback hits. Crosby had one sack with four total tackles (two for loss) with four quarterback hits.

Quotes of Note:

“No.” —Las Vegas Raiders head coach Antonio Pierce if he and the coaching staff would’ve done anything differently at the end of the game in retrospect of what did happen.

“I don’t know how to explain it. You can’t describe it. It’s so disappointing for the guys because everyone out there is literally putting their life on the line. … We’re 13.5-point underdogs that nobody believes can go in there and win, and we had ‘em right on the ropes. It’s disappointing, but I’m so proud of my teammates.” —Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby on the team’s eighth-straight loss.