Referees Appear to Favor Chiefs Again in Controversial Win

The Las Vegas Raiders were dealt a bad hand in their Week 13 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders tight end Brock Bowers (89) runs with the ball against Kansas City Chiefs safety Nazeeh Johnson (13) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images / Jay Biggerstaff-Imagn Images

The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Kansas City Chiefs in one of the strangest ways you will ever see on Friday.

The Raiders were trailing 19-17 with 15 seconds remaining and had the ball on the Chiefs' 30-yard line. They were in field-goal range. They appeared to be closing in on a second consecutive stunning victory at Arrowhead Stadium.

But then, Jackson Powers-Johnson pre-emptively snapped the ball on 3rd-and-3, and the football richocheted off quarterback Aidan O'Connell and into the arms of Kansas City linebacker Nick Bolton.

When the ball was snapped, you could see a flag being thrown on to the field to signal a false start. The problem was that the call was overruled, and possession was given to the Chiefs.

Raiders offensive tackle Kolton Miller spoke on the situation after the game.

"From my vantage point, I looked back and there was a pile ... and I see what looks to be the false start signal, but there was a conversation. ... Granted it shouldn't have happened, between center and QB, whatever happened there, but if it was a motion, if guys were set and there was a motion, I don't know."

Meanwhile, Las Vegas superstar Maxx Crosby was asked about the way his team lost the game, and while he was devastated by the defeat, he remained proud of his teammates.

"I don't know how to explain it," Crosby said. "It's just like, I can't describe it. It's so disappointing for the guys, because it's like, everyone out there is literally putting their life on the line. ... Like, we're 13.5-point underdogs. Like, no one believed we could go in there and win and we had them (expletive) right on the ropes, so it's disappointing to say the least, but I'm so proud of my teammates. I'm proud to call them my brethren."

Head coach Antonio Pierce wasn't sure what to make of the last play in particular.

"Last play, there was a lot going on," Pierce said. "Officiating to the flags to the ball being snapped."

In the end, the Raiders suffered their eighth straight loss, but Pierce was still proud of the way his players fought.

"Aidan, our team, the effort, the fight throughout, these guys battled to the very end until the clock hit zero," Pierce said. "These guys believed that we were going to win."

Pierce added that "the record is what it is," but there is absolutely no quit in his group. The Raiders are now just 2-10 on the season.

It's a tough pill to swallow knowing that Las Vegas should have had another chance to win the football game rather than seeing Kansas City nab a turnover that should not have been.

Even Raiders icon and Hall of Fame wide receiver Tim Brown felt the disappointment after the game:

Allowed to finish it. Yes I am hating! Lol! https://t.co/XDeEvxNAxo

— Tim Brown (@81TimBrown) November 30, 2024

But, the Raiders can hold their heads a bit high knowing that they once again played the defending Super Bowl champions tough.

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