Raiders Suffer Heartbreaking Loss Against the Chiefs on a Botched Snap

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan OConnell handing the ball to Ameer Abdullah in November 2024
Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell handing the ball to Ameer Abdullah in November 2024. Photo by David Smith/CSM/Shutterstock (14958061l)

The Las Vegas Raiders almost delivered a shocking upset in a Black Friday game against the reigning Super Bowl champions Kansas City Chiefs. Instead, a botched snap in the final seconds resulted in a heartbreaking 19-17 loss that extended their winless run to eight games and dropped them to a 2-10 record for the season.

Trailing by two points, the Raiders received the ball at their own eight yards with less than two minutes left in the final period. Second-year quarterback Aidan O’Connell then led an inspiring drive to get his team to Chief’s 32-yard line with 0:16 remaining on the clock.

After spiking the ball to stop the clock, the Raiders opted to run one more play before attempting a field goal. However, this proved to be a disastrous decision.

Rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson ended up snapping the ball to clueless O’Connell, who was still reading the defense. The ball hit O’Connell and bounced on the field for Chiefs’ linebacker Nick Bolton to pick it up.

The referees then initially flagged the Chiefs for a false start before changing their decision to an illegal shift on the Raiders’ side. Kansas City declined the penalty, maintaining Bolton’s fumble recovery and ending the game in their favor.

Both Powers-Johnson and O’Connell took the blame for the botched snap after the game.

“I thought he was calling for the snap, I snapped the ball,” Powers-Johnson said. “I’ve got to be better in that situation. We’re about to beat a really great team, and those miscommunications can’t happen. So I’m going to take full responsibility, and I’m going to put that loss on me.

“I was looking out to my right to make sure guys were set and I starting clapping to … get the ball,” O’Connell explained. “When I start clapping, that tells Jackson, basically, ‘Snap the ball.’”

However, it isn’t certain that Raiders’ kicker Daniel Carlson would even make the potential 42-yard field goal considering he was having a disastrous game. Carlson attempted four field goals against the Chiefs, making one from 27 yards and missing three from 56, 55 and 58 yards, respectively.