01/04/26 07:55:00
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01/04 19:54 CST Daniel Carlson hits 60-yard field goal to lift Raiders over
Chiefs, 14-12
Daniel Carlson hits 60-yard field goal to lift Raiders over Chiefs, 14-12
By MARK ANDERSON
AP Sports Writer
LAS VEGAS (AP) --- Daniel Carlson, a pending free agent, might have earned
himself a contract either with the Raiders or another NFL team.
He made a career-long 60-yard field goal with eight seconds left to give Las
Vegas a 14-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday and end the
Raiders' 10-game losing streak. His previous long was 57 yards.
Carlson and Kansas City's Harrison Butker each made four field goals, with
Butker hitting a 41-yarder with 1:01 left to give the Chiefs a short-lived
12-11 lead.
"For all the guys in the locker room, it's been a tough season," Carlson said.
"There's no way around that, but to end it like this, I think it was really
cool to send everyone to the offseason on a good note."
This was the first victory for the Raiders (3-14) over the Chiefs (6-11) at
Allegiant Stadium. Las Vegas also ended its 11-game skid against AFC West
opponents.
The Chiefs, who had won all five previous meetings in Las Vegas, lost their
sixth straight game and eighth in 10.
Las Vegas' Ashton Jeanty rushed for 87 yards, giving him 975 for the season
that is second among Raiders rookies to the 1,150 yards Josh Jacobs gained in
2019. Jeanty's 1,321 yards from scrimmage broke the club rookie record set by
Jacobs (1,316).
"I thought he had a great year," Raiders coach Pete Carroll said of the sixth
pick in last year's draft. "I think he maximized the opportunities that he had.
He came through in so many ways. It shows you not just the toughness, but the
endurance, too."
Much of the intrigue about the outcome was eliminated before kickoff when the
New York Giants defeated the Dallas Cowboys 34-17, guaranteeing the Raiders the
top pick in this year's NFL draft. A Giants loss would have meant that Las
Vegas would get that selection only with a loss to the Chiefs.
Less certain is Carroll's future. He was hired about a year ago with the hopes
that his championship pedigree of a Super Bowl title in Seattle and two college
championships at Southern California would translate to Las Vegas. There was no
immediate indication whether he would return, but the typical coach's day-after
news conference was not on the club's media schedule.
Carroll was tight-lipped about his future, only to say he would like to return
and shoot down reports about a potential retirement.
This also could be have the final game for Kansas City's Travis Kelce. The
36-year-old, who became the third tight end to reach 13,000 yards in his
career, has not said if he will retire after playing all 13 seasons in Kansas
City.
Both teams in large ways treated the finale like a preseason game.
Whether for injuries or other reasons, the Chiefs sat wide receiver Xavier
Worthy, running back Isiah Pacheco and defensive ends George Karlaftis and
Tyreke Smith among others, and the Raiders had a number of players hurt that
included running back Raheem Mostert, guard Dylan Parham and defensive tackle
Adam Butler.
Kansas City entered the game without quarterbacks Patrick Mahomes and Gardner
Minshew, each out with knee injuries. The Chiefs hope to get Mahomes back by
early next season in what they hope is the return to becoming more like the
team that appeared in five of the previous six Super Bowls, three ending in
championships.
"Nobody wants a season like this," Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. "But they're
obstacles. They come into play, and you've got to work through those. There's a
learning curve here that you can set with some of the experiences we had for
all of us and then never do it again, right?"
Chris Oladokun started for the Chiefs and completed 11 of 17 passes for 58
yards before giving way to Shane Buechele in the second half. Buechele was 7 of
14 for 88 yards.
The Raiders were without quarterback Geno Smith, out with an ankle injury that
also might have ended his playing days in Las Vegas after just a season. Kenny
Pickett started and was replaced by Aidan O'Connell in the second quarter as
expected. Pickett was just 1 of 4 for 3 yards with an interception, and
O'Connell completed 10 of 22 passes for 102 yards.
O'Connell produced the game's key offensive play with a 21-yard pass to tight
end Michael Mayer to help set up of Carlson's winning kick. This was
O'Connell's first appearance this season after being on injured reserve most of
the year because of a broken wrist.
"I've been through a lot and I'm not the only one," O'Connell said. "Basically,
everyone has. When you lose like this, it wears on teammates, coaches, family
--- all of it."
Tyree Wilson had two sacks of the Raiders' season-high eight sacks, including a
fourth-quarter safety for an 11-6 lead. He also forced two fumbles.
Chris Jones recorded two sacks to give him 86 1/2 for third most in Chiefs
history.
Injuries
Chiefs: RG Trey Smith (ankle) did not play.
Raiders: QB Geno Smith (ankle), DT Adam Butler (bicep), LT Kolton Miller
(ankle), RB Raheem Mostert (ankle/knee) and G Dylan Parham (illness) did not
play. ... S Isaiah Pola-Mao (shoulder) went out late in the second quarter.
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