There probably won’t be a more inconsequential decision in the history of football than Raiders coach Pete Carroll kicking a field goal in the final seconds of the team’s game against the Broncos on Sunday at Allegiant Stadium.

The Raiders trailed by 10 points with five seconds left. The plan was for Daniel Carlson to make the field goal before time ran out, giving the Raiders a chance for an onside kick.

Carroll had pleaded to no avail to the officials to reset the clock to 10 seconds after a delay of game penalty was called on Denver safety Brandon Jones. Nevertheless, he decided to kick the field goal.

“There was a real clear thought of what we were trying to get down there just to take it down to the very last click,” Carroll said.

As it turns out, Carlson’s anticlimactic field goal as time expired meant the Raiders lost by seven, 24-17, instead of 10.

No big deal, right?

Well, yes, actually it was. For anyone who bet on the Broncos to cover the 8-point spread or for the game to stay under the total of 40½, Carlson’s 46-yard field goal was a financial blow.

The uproar was fast and furious across the country, with plenty of people taking to social media to express their displeasure with Carroll.

The most vocal was Barstool Sports founder and high-stakes sports bettor Dave Portnoy, who went on an unhinged rant soon after Carlson’s kick sailed through the uprights.

“Prison for everybody!!” Portnoy posted on X (@stoolpresidente) above a video of him ranting about the ending. “That’s the biggest rig job I’ve ever seen. Investigate the NFL. Investigate Pete Carroll. Investigate the Raiders!!!

Portnoy was just getting started.

“That’s the worst beat of all time,” Portnoy repeated several times. “You have to investigate the Raiders. What are they doing? … That is cheating. … Pete Carroll should be in (expletive) prison. … The refs. Everybody. This is prison. … Murder Pete Carroll. I want Pete Carroll murdered.”

Carroll shrugs off uproar

When asked about the outrage Monday, Carroll described it as a sign of the times.

“With all due respect, the media is available and apparent as it’s ever been, obviously. This is the height of it, of all time,” Carroll said. “And so that means that there are a lot of opportunities for people to have chances to post their opinions and their feelings or whatever. And that’s real, that’s the real deal.”

Carroll said he had no idea what the point spread was and that he was just trying to win the game.

As far as the angry reactions, at age 74 and in his 51st year of coaching, Carroll is a master at blocking out the noise.

“If I succumb to responding and reacting to that, I would not be doing my best job that I can put forth to coach,” he said. “That factor is a factor to some people, but it isn’t to me. And I have to be rock solid on that. I can’t bend and twist and go with whatever the public sentiment is, or one person’s sentiment, for that matter, regardless of who it is.”

Carroll also understands his thought process won’t be accepted by everyone.

“I gave you the absolute, truthful explanation of what happened, but some people, they won’t buy that, and they’ll do whatever they want with it,” he said. “I can’t do anything about that.”

Injury updates

Carroll did not have an update on the shoulder injury that knocked quarterback Geno Smith out of Sunday’s game after the third quarter.

Carroll also said cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, a former Bishop Gorman High standout, suffered a patellar tendon injury in the game.

“We’ll see the severity of it, but that’s a difficult injury right off the bat,” Carroll said.

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.

Up next

Who: Raiders at Eagles

When: 10 a.m. Sunday

Where: Lincoln Financial Field, Philadelphia

TV: Fox

Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3)

Line: Eagles -12½; 38½