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Paul Gutierrez, ESPN Staff Writer
HENDERSON, Nev. — Las Vegas Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was succinct in his one-word reply Saturday. He was requested whether or not there was something he and his workers would have completed in another way on the fateful botched snap on third down that resulted in a misplaced fumble with the Raiders in place for a possible successful area objective on the Kansas City Chiefs the evening earlier than.
“No,” he mentioned.
With the sport clock stopped with 15 seconds to play and the Raiders on the Chiefs’ 32-yard line trailing 19-17, the plan was for quarterback Aidan O’Connell to take a snap to burn extra time earlier than throwing the ball away and sending place-kicker Daniel Carlson out for the 50-yard winner, Pierce mentioned after the sport. Carlson had beforehand missed three area objective makes an attempt, from 56, 55 and 58 yards.
But the Raiders might have conceivably run extra day off the clock one snap prior, when O’Connell spiked the ball comparatively early within the play clock.
Instead, and after getting out of the huddle late and with the play clock winding down, O’Connell, within the shotgun, was not wanting when rookie middle Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball after being tapped by proper guard Dylan Parham. The soccer bounced off O’Connell’s higher proper arm, and when he tried to dive on it on the frozen grass, the ball bounced off the left heel of proper deal with DJ Glaze. Chiefs linebacker Nick Bolton recovered the fumble.
O’Connell, who handed for a career-high 340 yards with two touchdowns, and Powers-Johnson, making his first begin at middle with O’Connell at quarterback, each assumed blame for the play.
“Completely my fault,” O’Connell mentioned.
“We did not come up quick,” Powers-Johnson mentioned. “I got here up quick.”
Adding to the chaos was an official working into the scrum signaling a false begin on the Raiders. That would have penalized them 5 yards and made it a 55-yard area objective try, however Las Vegas would have maintained possession.
Instead, after the officers huddled, referee Clay Martin introduced the penalty was for an unlawful shift, which Kansas City declined to get the ball.
And the Raiders dropped their eighth straight recreation to fall to 2-10 on the season.
Pierce wouldn’t talk about how the penalty was assessed and defined to him instantly after the sport. But within the videoconference name with reporters Saturday, Pierce mentioned, “We heard a whistle on our sideline,” which might have nullified the play.
Asked whether or not the Raiders would voice their opinion to the NFL, Pierce shrugged.
“Yeah, I imply, like we usually do, we do that each recreation,” he mentioned. “Typically, wherever from three to 5 questions after which we’ll get a letter inside 24 to 36 hours, and we’ll learn it and be taught from it.”
