Arrowhead Pride
In Week 18 of the 2025 regular season, the Kansas City Chiefs traveled to Las Vegas hoping to move past the five the five straight losses that had kept them out of the playoffs. They sought a season-ending victory over the the Las Vegas Raiders to finish the season at 7-10. But the Kansas City offense couldn’t move the ball against a Las Vegas team that will be making the first pick in April’s NFL Draft. The season ended with a frustrating 14-12 loss — and a lot of questions for 2026.
Las Vegas won the coin toss and elected to defer. Kansas City opened the drive at its own 35-yard line with Brashard Smith taking a shotgun handoff up the right guard spot for four yards. Smith stayed involved on the next snap, carrying left end for two more yards to set up a manageable third down. On third-and-4, Chris Oladokun dropped back in shotgun but was swallowed up by Cam Snowden for a 10-yard loss, forcing a quick three-and-out. Matt Araiza came on to punt, sending the ball 41 yards to the Las Vegas 28, where Alex Bachman returned it 14 yards to the Raiders’ 42 to flip the field.
Las Vegas took over near midfield and opened the drive with Ashton Jeanty running left guard for a short two-yard gain to the Raiders’ 44. Facing second-and-long, Kenny Pickett went to the air from shotgun, targeting Ja’Corey Bech on a short throw to the left. Safety Chamarri Conner jumped the route, intercepting the pass at the Las Vegas 47 and returning it one yard to the Raiders’ 46, giving Kansas City an early takeaway and prime field position.
Starting at the Raiders’ 46 after the interception, Kansas City tried to capitalize but stalled. Oladokun opened the possession with a short incompletion to Smith on the right. The Chiefs then went to the ground, with Smith running right guard for four yards to the Las Vegas 42. On the next snap, Oladokun appeared to hit Smith-Schuster over the middle for a 14-yard gain to the Raiders’ 28, but the play was wiped out by an ineligible downfield penalty on Godrick, bringing the ball back to the 42. Facing third-and-long, Oladokun took a deep shot up the middle for Brown, but the pass fell incomplete, forcing Kansas City into a third-and-11 situation and halting the early momentum.
Pinned deep near its own goal line, Las Vegas leaned on its running game to start the series, with Austin Jeanty pushing up the middle for a single yard to the four. Kenny Pickett then tried to get the Raiders out of trouble with a quick throw to Jeanty on the right, but it netted just three yards and left the offense backed up inside its own 10. On third down, the Chiefs’ pass rush closed in — Chris Jones beat his man cleanly and dragged Pickett down in the end zone area for a six-yard sack, forcing...
