Raiders’ Jackson Powers-Johnson takes full blame for botched snap in loss to Chiefs
Aidan O'Connell fumbled the ball after Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball early and cost the Raiders a chance to make a comeback.
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Jackson Powers-Johnson (Image via Open Source)
The Las Vegas Raiders were the last team to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs in the 2023 season. Since that point, the team went on to win the Super Bowl and remained undefeated until their recent loss to the Buffalo Bills. On Friday night, the Raiders were once again close to beating the Chiefs and establishing themselves as their kryptonite.
The game came down to the wire and while trailing 19-17 with 15 seconds left on the clock, the Raiders had a chance to take the lead and win the game. Unfortunately, center Jackson Powers-Johnson ended up snapping the ball before quarterback Aidan O’Connell was in position, and that led to a fumble that was recovered by the Chiefs.
In a matter of seconds, the Raiders had lost their leverage and the game. The center did not go easy on himself and rightfully so, holding himself accountable for the avoidable blunder.
We didn’t come up short; I came up short…s***’s on me.
Jackson Powers-Johnson told the media as reported by ESPN’s Paul Gutierrez
The team had a hard time walking off after the loss, as it marked the eighth straight loss of their season.
Aidan O’Connell shared the blame for the Raiders loss to the Chiefs
Interestingly enough, Aidan O’Connell put the onus of the loss upon himself. He revealed that he ended up clapping earlier than he should have which gave Jackson Powers-Johnson the signal to snap the ball. The center snaps right after the QB claps so Powers-Johnson was doing what he was meant to.
There’s no one to blame but myself.
Aidan O’Connell said after the game taking full accountability
In reality, neither Aidan O’Connell nor Jackson Powers-Johnson should be blamed for Friday’s loss. They erred on the last play, there is no argument there, but they would not have been in that position had their kicker Daniel Carlson not cost them nine points by missing three field goals earlier in the game.
"We didn't come up short; I came up short…shit's on me." – #Raiders C Jackson Powers-Johnson, on snapping before QB Aidan O'Connell was ready.
— Paul Gutierrez (@PGutierrezESPN) November 29, 2024
Even if the Raiders had managed to get into field goal range, there was no guarantee that Carlson would have converted that game-winning kick. It was not surprising to see that the QB-center were on different pages yesterday as it was the first game they played together this season.
They are yet to understand each other’s cues and once they build some chemistry, such blunders will not be repeated. Unfortunately, with this loss, the Raiders lived up to the narrative set by HC Antonio Pierce in the run-up to the game as the worst team.
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Sumedh Joshi
(2235 Articles Published)