Nov 29, 2024; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes (15) is sacked by Las Vegas Raiders defensive end K'Lavon Chaisson (44) during the first half at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Raiders Exposed Their Bitter Rivals in Devastating Loss

Originally posted on Las Vegas Raiders on SI
By Matthew Schmidt | Last updated Nov 30, 2024 6:00 AM ET

The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday in the most heartbreaking fashion possible, as a bad snap from rookie Jackson Powers-Johnson in the waning moments secured yet another miraculous win for the Chiefs.

Look: the Raiders are not a good football team, and this game proved it. They had a chance to win it, but some horrible mistakes resulted in a defeat.

Bad teams find ways to lose football games, and Las Vegas is 2-10 for a reason.

However, this was yet another example of how Kansas City is not the dominant squad from years past.

Yes, the Chiefs are 11-1, and an argument can be made for great teams finding ways to win games just like bad teams discover ways to lose them.

But really, it's hard to come away feeling good about this victory if you're Kansas City.

Once again, Patrick Mahomes looked far from special, going 26-for-46 with 306 yards and a touchdown. The Chiefs managed just 63 rushing yards. Both Travis Kelce and DeAndre Hopkins dropped easy passes.

Not only that, but Kansas City's defense was not even up to snuff for much of the game, as Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell went 23-for-35 with 340 yards and a couple of touchdowns and was moving the ball at will down the stretch.

Six of the Chiefs' 11 wins have now come down to the final play. Nine of their 11 victories have come within one score. They've scored 30 points just twice all season, and one of those came in overtime.

Kansas City has really been winning games with smoke and mirrors, and it probably should have lost this game to the woeful Raiders, and at Arrowhead Stadium, no less.

Heck, the Chiefs held a 16-3 lead over Las Vegas at one point, only to see the Raiders score back-to-back touchdowns.

Las Vegas also missed three field goals, and it failed to convert a 4th-and-1 in Chiefs territory at the start of the second half.

And let's not forget to mention that the bad snap by Powers-Johnson should have been wiped out by a false start that wasn't even called.

So, yeah: I understand that the Raiders didn't deserve to win this game, either. They basically handed it on a silver platter to the Chiefs.

But Kansas City was once again exposed as a team that lacks elite talent—especially offensively—and may very well end up getting hammered in the playoffs.

Maybe the Chiefs really will just flip a switch in January like last year. But it's becoming harder and harder to believe that this team is actually prepared to win a third straight Super Bowl.

This article first appeared on Las Vegas Raiders on SI and was syndicated with permission.

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