The Las Vegas Raiders are submitting video evidence to the NFL to review a controversial final play in their narrow 19-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday.
The game ended in dramatic fashion when a botched snap between quarterback Aidan O’Connell and center Jackson Powers-Johnson resulted in a fumble recovered by Kansas City. Raiders interim head coach Antonio Pierce said:
“We heard a whistle on our sideline.”
The disputed play, widely circulated on social media, appears to show an official signaling a false start, which should have stopped the play.
“If that’s the case, the play should have been blown dead before it started, and the fumble wouldn’t have counted,”
Pierce explained, adding that this would have allowed the Raiders a chance to attempt a game-winning field goal from the Chiefs’ 37-yard line.
Pierce confirmed that the team will send the video to the NFL and seek clarification.
According to NFL spokesperson Michael Signora:
“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… an illegal shift is a live-ball foul.”
While the league has clarified that the penalty was an illegal shift rather than a false start, the Raiders remain frustrated, hoping for the league to acknowledge what they see as an officiating error.
However, such reviews are procedural and do not alter game results.
