AFC West Clash Goes Down To The Wire On Black Friday
Although the Raiders aren’t having a good season they played competitively today. But they usually do put up a fight against their rivals the Kansas City Chiefs. That remains true as an epic AFC West clash goes down to the wire on Black Friday. The Las Vegas Raiders’ defense had sacked Patrick Mahomes three times in the first half of the game. And they put a lot of pressure on him too, disrupting his throws and not letting him scramble around. In return the Kansas City Chiefs defense also did their fair share of damage in getting after QB Aidan O’Connell. He was sacked twice in the first half and had a few of his passes batted down.
Kansas City moved the ball well on on their opening drive, but stalled in the red zone. Pressure on Mahomes and a pass breakup kept the Chiefs out of the end zone. So they had to kick a 25-yard field goal. On their opening drive the Raiders picked up a first down. But a 10-yard offensive holding penalty pushed them backward and they ended up punting. The Chiefs also punted and that was it for the first quarter.
The Raiders started the second quarter with a nice, long drive but Aidan O’Connell was sacked on 3rd & 4 at KC 4. So they too settled for a 27-yard field goal. The Chiefs had to punt again and the Raiders missed a 56-yard field goal putting the Chiefs in good field position. That led to the first touchdown of the game as Mahomes found Justin Watson in the end zone. The Raiders had to punt again, the Chiefs missed a 59-yard field goal and the half ended with the Chiefs up 3-10.
AFC West Clash Goes Down To The Wire On Black Friday
In the second half things weren’t looking good for the Raiders. They failed to convert a 4th & 1 turning the ball over on downs. And O’Connell took a 15-yard sack which left them with a failed 55-yard field goal attempt. However, O’Connell and tight end Brock Bowers hooked up on some nice pass completions and the Raiders scored a touchdown in the third quarter. And with their running game being more productive they scored another touchdown in the fourth quarter.
They had a chance to take the lead again but only got to the KC 40. Daniel Carlson came on for the field goal attempt but head coach Antonio Pierce called a timeout. It seems like he iced his own kicker because when Carlson came back on the field he missed the 58-yard field goal. Surprisingly, after that Mahomes and his offense went three and out giving the Raiders the ball back with about two minutes left in the game.
With no timeouts the Raiders took possession on their 8 yard line. O’Connell completed five straight passes to four different receivers which got his team to the KC 32 yard line. But they were rushing and in a panic when he spiked the ball with :16 on the clock. They weren’t lined up when the center snapped the ball to O’Connell who wasn’t ready. The ball was fumbled and the Chiefs jumped on it. Then an illegal shift penalty was called on the Raiders. Since the Chiefs were awarded the ball Mahomes kneeled on it, ending the Raiders comeback and the game, 17-19.
Final Thoughts On The Friday Game
I didn’t see an explanation as to why they didn’t replay the down due to the illegal shift penalty. But had the Raiders preserved that timeout then maybe they wouldn’t have been so rushed and made the mistake of the quick snap. They had opportunities to win but didn’t take advantage. Instead, they kept running the ball up the middle of the Chiefs’ stout defense. However, they could have tested their tackles on the outside. The Raiders have to clean up their sloppiness and mismanagement miscues.
I’m not sure what’s wrong with Mahomes but he missed a lot of throws today that he could make in his sleep. Maybe it was the pressure the Raiders brought that rattled him. DeAndre Hopkins is still a top wide receiver, his one-handed catch was ridiculous. This game was a nail-biter but fun to watch.
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