On a crisp January evening in Las Vegas, the Allegiant Stadium crowd witnessed a finish for the ages as Daniel Carlson drilled a career-long 60-yard field goal with just eight seconds left, lifting the Las Vegas Raiders to a dramatic 14-12 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs. The kick didn't just seal a single game; it ended a host of streaks and opened the door to a flurry of offseason questions for both teams.
The win snapped a daunting 10-game losing streak for the Raiders and marked their first victory over the Chiefs at Allegiant Stadium. Even more, it ended an 11-game drought against AFC West opponents, sending the home fans into the offseason with a rare taste of triumph. As Carlson put it after the game, "For all the guys in the locker room, it’s been a tough season. 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."
Both teams entered the matchup with little on the line but pride and future positioning. The Raiders, sitting at 2-14 before kickoff, had already secured the top pick in the 2026 NFL Draft thanks to the New York Giants’ earlier win over the Dallas Cowboys. The Chiefs, meanwhile, were looking to salvage a forgettable campaign that saw them miss the playoffs and tumble to a 6-11 record, capped by a crushing six-game losing streak.
For Kansas City, the storylines were as much about the future as the present. The game saw the Chiefs resting several starters, including wide receiver Xavier Worthy and running back Isiah Pacheco, while star quarterback Patrick Mahomes and backup Gardner Minshew were both sidelined with knee injuries. Chris Oladokun started under center, completing 11 of 17 passes for 58 yards but struggling to move the offense consistently. He was replaced in the second half by Shane Buechele, who managed 88 passing yards and led the Chiefs’ best drive of the night.
Brashard Smith, a rookie running back, provided a rare spark for Kansas City, rushing 12 times for 56 yards—including 35 in the first quarter, the most by a Chiefs back all season. Head coach Andy Reid noted, "I thought he did a nice job for us. I like the way he caught the ball for the most part and then ran the ball. It was good to get him in the backfield running from the different spots offset and from under center dot runs." Reid added that Smith’s focus now must be on adding strength in the offseason.
On the receiving end, Marquise "Hollywood" Brown delivered the game’s biggest play for the Chiefs—a 51-yard reception late in the fourth quarter that set up Harrison Butker’s fourth field goal, giving Kansas City a fleeting 12-11 lead with just over a minute to play. Butker was perfect on the night, hitting all four of his attempts, but it wasn’t enough to stave off the Raiders’ late heroics.
For the Raiders, the offense was fueled by rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, who carried the ball 26 times for 87 yards. Jeanty’s performance capped a standout rookie season, finishing with 975 rushing yards and a franchise rookie record 1,321 yards from scrimmage. "I thought he had a great year," Raiders coach Pete Carroll said. "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." Jeanty’s season now sits just behind Josh Jacobs’ 1,150 rushing yards as a rookie in 2019 but surpasses Jacobs’ mark for total yards from scrimmage.
The quarterback situation for Las Vegas was equally turbulent. Geno Smith missed the game with an ankle injury—potentially his last as a Raider—leaving Kenny Pickett to start. Pickett struggled, completing just one of four passes for three yards before being replaced by Aidan O’Connell in the second quarter. O’Connell, returning from a broken wrist, completed 10 of 22 passes for 102 yards and delivered a critical 21-yard strike to tight end Michael Mayer, setting up Carlson’s game-winning kick. "I've been through a lot and I'm not the only one," O’Connell reflected. "Basically, everyone has. When you lose like this, it wears on teammates, coaches, family — all of it."
Defense was the order of the day, with both teams combining for just 372 total yards. The Raiders’ defense, led by Tyree Wilson’s two sacks—including a fourth-quarter safety—set the tone, notching a season-high eight sacks and forcing two turnovers. Wilson also forced two fumbles, while Chris Jones of the Chiefs recorded two sacks of his own, bringing his career total to 86.5—third-most in franchise history.
But the biggest storyline emerging from the Chiefs’ sideline wasn’t just the loss, but the possible end of an era. Travis Kelce, at 36 years old, became just the third tight end in NFL history to surpass 13,000 career receiving yards, joining legends Jason Witten and Tony Gonzalez. Kelce reached the milestone in just 192 games, the fastest ever by a tight end. His future remains uncertain, as retirement rumors swirl, but his place in history is secure. As Andy Reid put it, "Nobody wants a season like this. 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?"
Looking ahead, the Chiefs’ focus now shifts to the draft and free agency. Their loss moved them up two spots in the draft order, giving them the ninth overall pick—their highest since selecting Mahomes in 2017. With young players like rookie cornerback Nohl Williams showing promise, decisions loom on veterans like Trent McDuffie and Jaylen Watson as Kansas City looks to retool. "We've got a good nucleus of guys that's veteran players that'll be back," Reid said, expressing optimism for a "fresh start coming up here."
For the Raiders, the win offers a rare positive in a challenging season and a foundation to build upon with the top pick in the draft and young stars like Jeanty leading the way. As both franchises head into pivotal offseasons, the echoes of Carlson’s booming kick—and the hope it inspired—will linger long after the lights dim in Las Vegas.
