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.
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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