The touchdown was the Chiefs’ lone trip to the end zone across five red zone drives, however, and the Raiders refused to go away. Las Vegas rattled off 14 unanswered points on back-to-back possessions early in the fourth quarter, pushing the Raiders in front for the first time all day.
Kansas City then quickly responded with a 32-yard field goal on its ensuing possession to reclaim the lead, but Las Vegas continued to make things interesting over the game’s final two minutes.
The Raiders missed a 58-yard field goal on their penultimate drive that would have taken the lead had it gone through the uprights, and following a Chiefs’ punt on the following possession, Las Vegas had one final opportunity to take the lead with one minute and 56 seconds remaining in regulation.
Las Vegas quickly marched into realistic field goal range, but the snap slipped through O’Connell’s grasp before the Raiders could set up for another potential game-winning field goal attempt, and as they have so many times this season, the Chiefs escaped with another thrilling win.
“I didn’t see it, but obviously, [it was] a big stop and a big moment,” Mahomes said. “They got us the win there, but we have to execute better in the fourth quarter so it doesn’t come down to that.”
In terms of injuries, Nick Bolton was the only player Coach Reid mentioned following the game, although Bolton – who recovered the fumble in the game’s final seconds – returned to the field soon after suffering his injury.
The Chiefs will now enjoy an extended break before taking on the Los Angeles Chargers at GEHA Field at Arrowhead next Sunday.