The Kansas City Chiefs left Las Vegas with a 30-27 win on Sunday, but the final minute had Andy Reid fuming and the officials under the microscope.
Kansas City had already been hit with a tough moment earlier in the afternoon when Patrick Mahomes watched Tyquan Thornton go down with a severe ankle injury. Then the fourth quarter delivered one more nerve-jangling sequence before the Chiefs could finally exhale.
With 1:16 left, the Raiders got the ball at their own 1-yard line and had no timeouts. Kirk Cousins fired to Tre Tucker over the middle for 23 yards, but the ball hit the turf as the catch was made.
Officials still ruled it a completion. Cousins immediately spiked the ball to stop the clock, and that quick snap locked in the ruling before anyone could take another look.
For a few seconds, it had all the makings of a brutal break for Kansas City. Reid was shown on the sideline arguing with an official right after the call and was clearly livid, though at that point there was nothing the officials could do.
The Raiders still had one last chance, but Cousins’ throw from the Chiefs’ 49 with 10 seconds remaining was picked off by safety Xavier Nwankpa. That interception all but ended it, and an illegal shift penalty on Las Vegas put the final stamp on the result anyway.
Kansas City moved to 4-0 with the win. Las Vegas fell to 3-1, dropping off the league’s shrinking list of unbeaten teams. The mistaken ruling didn’t decide the game in the end, but for a moment it sure looked like it might.
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