Raiders coach on final play: ‘We heard a whistle on our sideline’

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — As his team’s frantic last play from scrimmage was unfolding against the Kansas City Chiefs on Friday, Raiders coach Antonio Pierce was under the impression officials had called the play dead.

“We heard a whistle on our sideline,” Pierce said Saturday, less than 24 hours after the Raiders’ gut-wrenching 19-17 loss.

Had Pierce’s initial understanding of the situation held up, the fumbled shotgun snap between Raiders center Jackson Powers-Johnson and quarterback Aidan O’Connell would have been moot.

The Raiders would have gotten another chance to run a third-down play against the Chiefs. Or, just brought on kicker Daniel Carlson to attempt a game-winning field goal from 54 yards out.

But after the officials huddled, they cited the Raiders (2-10) for an illegal shift rather than an illegal procedure. The Chiefs (11-1) immediately declined the penalty, which meant the fumble Nick Bolton recovered stood — as did one of the most improbable Raiders losses in years.

Pierce, who said he would not have done anything differently tactically on the final play, said the Raiders will send a complaint to the NFL, as they typically do after most games when concerns are raised.

The NFL, according to Pierce, typically responds within 24 to 36 hours.

“We’ll read it and learn from it,” said Pierce.

Big pass rush

The Raiders registered a season-high four sacks against Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on Friday, the most they have had since Week 18 last year against the Denver Broncos. It was the 30th straight game the Raiders have recorded at least one sack.

The key?

Getting help alongside Maxx Crosby, who had one sack, two tackles for loss and four of the Raiders’ 12 quarterback hits.

K’Lavon Chaisson added three tackles, 1½ sacks, one tackle for loss and three quarterback hits. Zach Carter added two tackles and a sack, and Adam Butler had six tackles and a half-sack.

Pierce was impressed.

“We just talked about being relentless. No different than every year we play Kansas City with Patrick,” said Pierce. “It takes everybody. It can’t be the Maxx Crosby show.”

Injuries to Malcolm Koonce and Christian Wilkins have reduced what was expected to be a dominant Raiders pass rush. But on Friday, the Raiders finally put together a solid group effort.

“Just the overall rush coordination, rush plan. The strain, the finish,” Pierce said. “I thought they all had some great opportunities, some great rushes where we were winning.”

O’Connell’s huge day

Playing in his first game after missing over a month with a fractured right thumb, Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell threw for 340 yards and two touchdowns. The last time a Raiders quarterback threw for more than 340 yards without an interception was Derek Carr in 2021.

O’Connell’s 116.4 passer rating on 35 pass attempts was the best rating for a Raiders quarterback with that many throws since Carr in 2021. O’Connell’s four games with a passer rating of 100 or better over his first 15 starts is the most in franchise history.

O’Connell said he would have traded it all for a win.

“It’s been a hard season,” O’Connell said. “I feel really bad for the guys who work so hard. I’ve been out for five weeks, and it’s been hard to watch because I know how hard the guys work throughout the week. It’s tough to stomach right now. But again, I couldn’t be more proud of our coaching staff and our players. It was a great game except for the last play.”

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