Raiders went for 2 instead of a tie, don’t get it and Chiefs escape with 1-point win
Raiders #Raiders
The Las Vegas Raiders hit a huge touchdown to Davante Adams with 4:27 left. It seemed like it would be a tie game against the Kansas City Chiefs. All the Raiders needed to tie it was an extra point.
They left their offense on the field for a two-point conversion.
There have been endless arguments the past few seasons over coaching decisions like the one Raiders coach Josh McDaniels made in that situation. When coaches do something that is out of the norm and overly aggressive, the old guard complains about analytics. Even if the math says a call is right, there can be gray areas.
This was a gray area. The decision will be criticized after the fact because the two-point play didn’t work. Josh Jacobs was inches short of the goal line and the Raiders still trailed 30-29. The Chiefs held off a late Raiders drive and won 30-29.
The Chiefs had a fantastic comeback. Patrick Mahomes threw for four touchdowns, all to Travis Kelce. They trailed by 17 points early in the game and came all the way back to win.
But the Chiefs’ comeback takes a backseat to a controversial two-point conversion call by the Raiders’ coach. It was understandable with Mahomes playing like he was, even if there was plenty of time left. But it didn’t work, and therefore it will be questioned.
Raiders start fast, Chiefs come back
Early on, the Raiders were rolling. They led 17-0. No 17-point lead in the NFL is totally safe in the second quarter, but this one seemed especially tenuous.
The Chiefs have Mahomes. And Kelce too. No lead against the Chiefs should seem comfortable.
The Chiefs scored 30 of the next 36 points after that great start by the Raiders. With Mahomes throwing four touchdowns to Kelce, the Chiefs took back the lead.
It should have seemed like a much greater comeback. The Raiders were in total control of the game through a quarter and a half. Davante Adams got a 58-yard touchdown on a gutsy fourth-and-1 call to get the Raiders on the board early. They seemed confident.
But, we expect great things like that from the Chiefs and Mahomes. The comeback just seemed like business as usual.
Kelce didn’t do a lot of damage in terms of yardage, but he was great near the goal line. On his third touchdown he ran a route from left to right, then came all the way back left after he caught the ball. He avoided multiple Raiders defenders on his way to the end zone. It was a fantastic touchdown.
The Raiders still had shots to win late in the game. One penalty in particular was a huge blow though.
When it looked like the Raiders got a stop in the fourth quarter, linebacker Malcolm Koonce was called for defense holding when he grabbed a Chiefs lineman to create a lane for his teammate to try to block the field goal. It’s a terrible penalty any time. After you just got the Chiefs off the field, with 7:25 left, on a missed field goal in a one-point game to give the Chiefs an automatic first down … that’s about as bad as it gets.
The Chiefs cashed in. Kelce caught his fourth touchdown of the game and the Chiefs took a 30-23 lead.
The Raiders hit an enormous play after that. Adams caught his second long touchdown, right down the middle for 48 yards. That cut the Chiefs’ lead to one point, and then came McDaniels’ decision to go for two. It didn’t work.
The Raiders got a big stop after that and forced a punt. They took over with 2:20 left, but back at their own 7-yard line. They just needed a field goal and got a couple nice runs by Josh Jacobs before the two-minute warning. Adams seemed to make a big catch into Chiefs possession but he was juggling it a bit and officials ruled his second foot wasn’t in bounds. In a close game, that was a close call that went against the Raiders. It seemed like the right call.
On fourth-and-1, Carr threw downfield to Adams but Raiders receiver Hunter Renfrow collided with Adams. Both receivers went down and the pass fell incomplete.
It was a rough loss for the Raiders and pushed them down to 1-4 for the season. They’ll wonder if the result might have been different if they’d taken that extra point.