By Nate Taylor, Vic Tafur, Tashan Reed and Jelani Scott
After battling it out with their long-time AFC West rival back in Week 8, the Kansas City Chiefs (11-1) managed to hang on once again, thanks in part to huge late-game mistake, against the Las Vegas Raiders (2-10) in Week 13 to earn a 19-17 win in a thriller on Black Friday.
The reigning Super Bowl champions entered the short week looking tighten up after facing criticism in recent weeks for their offensive line play and string of one-score games. Against a fiery Raiders squad led by a return Aidan O’Connell, Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs saw these issues continue in a matchup that came down to the last possession. Kansas City’s two-point lead appeared in jeopardy with O’Connell and Co. positioning kicker Daniel Carlson for a potential game-winning 32-yard field goal with 15 seconds to play.
Amazingly, miscommunication between AOC and rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson led to a botched snap recovered by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton that was later accepted after a Raiders flag for an illegal shift added to the drama. The play cost the Raiders a chance to play spoiler but also made the Chiefs the first team to clinch a spot in the postseason on a day where Mahomes unseated the legendary Len Dawson to record a franchise-record 238th TD pass.
The Raiders fumble it, the Chiefs recover it to seal the game ‼️#LVvsKC on Prime Video
Also streaming on #NFLPlus pic.twitter.com/WvNvUONRM5— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2024
What a WILD ending on Black Friday 👀 pic.twitter.com/JtYRVva6Zy
— NFL (@NFL) November 29, 2024
Chiefs offensive line issues on full display
Early in the fourth quarter, Mahomes pounded the ball and screamed at the Chiefs’ sideline, in the direction of coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Matt Nagy. Once again, Mahomes was sacked for the fifth time in a game in a span of five days.
The Raiders, much like the Carolina Panthers this past Sunday, attacked the Chiefs’ biggest weakness: the left tackle position, the lineman responsible for protecting Mahomes’ blind side. Left tackle Wanya Morris, who has played the past month with a right knee injury, struggled mightily in pass protection. The Chiefs even replaced Morris midway through the fourth quarter, moving Joe Thuney from left guard to left tackle and inserting Mike Caliendo, a second-year player, at left guard.
Although the Chiefs entered the red zone five times, they scored only one touchdown — and even that highlight included Mahomes getting hit by defensive end K’Lavon Chaisson, to beat Morris, just before releasing his pass that resulted in a 6-yard touchdown to receiver Justin Watson.
On Monday, the Chiefs signed D.J. Humphries, a move general manager Brett Veach made to ensure the team protected itself in case Morris misses time the rest of the season. In less than a week, it appears Humphries, an eight-year veteran, will need to be ready to start for the Chiefs next week against the Los Angeles Chargers. — Nate Taylor, Chiefs beat writer
Shocking mistake costs Las Vegas in crunch time
The Raiders had the ball at the Chiefs’ 32-yard line with just 14 seconds left in the game and seemed headed to a game-winning field goal attempt. While kicker Daniel Carlson was just 1-for-4 on field goals at that point, all three of his misses were 55 yards or longer. This field goal try would be much shorter.
Shockingly, Carlson would never get the chance to try it.
On the third-and-3 play, Powers-Johnson looked to snap the ball before quarterback Aidan O’Connell was prepared for it. O’Connell mishandled the snap and it was recovered by Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton on a game-ending turnover.
There was some drama in the moments that followed because a flag was thrown on the field, but it was on the Raiders. The Chiefs were able to kneel it out from there to finish off an absolutely heartbreaking loss for the Raiders. In an instant, they went from having a chance to upset the back-to-back champions to losing their eighth straight game. — Tashan Reed, Raiders senior writer
Raiders defense give Mahomes and Co. its best shot (again)
It doesn’t matter who is wearing the jerseys, apparently, the Raiders defense just loves to show up against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs in Kansas City. Eleven months after beating the Chiefs. 20-14, on Christmas, the Raiders defense had a season-high five sacks on a season-high 11 quarterback pressures on Friday to almost beat them again. The Raiders lost, 19-17, as kicker Carlson missed three field goals.
The Raiders continually harassed Mahomes, as K’Lavon Chaisson had 2.5 of the team’s five sacks. The former first-round pick of the Jaguars was signed by the Raiders to the practice squad in September and promoted to the active roster a month later. Chaisson had 1.5 sacks going into Friday’s game. — Vic Tafur, Raiders senior writer
Required reading
(Photo: Jamie Squire / Getty Images)
