NFL
Controversial Chiefs-Raiders ending, here’s what the NFL has to say about it
The NFL have spoken publicly about the controversial ending to the Chiefs-Raiders game.
The Kansas City Chiefs maintained their 100% record in the 2024 NFL season with a closely-fought win over the Las Vegas Raiders, but it wasn’t without controversy.
Late in the game, with just 15 seconds remaining in the fourth quarter, the Raiders spiked the ball on second down at the Chiefs' 32-yard line.
Quarterback Aidan O’Connell, with his team in position for a game-winning field goal, saw an errant snap ricochet off his chest and hit the ground, allowing the Chiefs to recover it and keep the 19-17 on the scoreboard safe.
What happened at the end of the Chiefs vs Raiders game?
When the ball was recovered, fans assumed a false-start penalty had been given, with a sideline official appearing to suggest such a decision. A penalty would have blown the play dead and Kansas City would not have taken possession.
However, after the officials conferred, the penalty was instead changed to an illegal shift. The grateful Chiefs kept the ball and ran down the clock, seeing out the controversial win.
Of course, such a strange decision caused outrage to erupt online, with fans calling the NFL corrupt for ‘helping’ the best side in the league to a win. Such furore led the governing body of the sport in the USA to come out and explain the refereeing decision.
Via the Athletic, an NFL spokesperson said that “Had the clock been running at the snap, then by rule an illegal shift would convert to a false start. Since the clock was stopped (spike on the second-down play), an illegal shift is a live ball foul.”
As for the Raiders' reaction, head coach Antonio Pierce said that “we heard a whistle on our sideline,” explaining O’Connell’s slip for the snap.
Meanwhile, O’Connell took full responsibility for the error, saying “The clock was running down, I was trying to get the guys lined up, and we were just going to throw the ball out of bounds, run the clock down, get to fourth down and kick the field goal.
“It’s completely my fault”, he added. I was looking out to the right making sure guys were set, and I started clapping. ... I clapped too early. That’s just how the football bounces sometimes. It didn’t go our way. ... [And] there’s really nobody to blame but myself. That’s probably the hardest part to swallow.”
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