If you turned off the TV with a minute left on Sunday, you missed the only part of the Raiders' season that actually made sense. For three hours, it was ugly. Then, suddenly, it wasn't. The score to the raiders game ended up being Las Vegas 14, Kansas City 12, a result that probably felt like a fever dream to the fans sitting in Allegiant Stadium.
It wasn’t just a win. It was a 60-yard dagger.
Daniel Carlson, a guy who has been one of the few reliable pillars in a chaotic 3-14 season, stepped up and drilled a career-long field goal with eight seconds left on the clock. It was his fourth of the day. To be honest, seeing the Raiders offense struggle to find the end zone isn't exactly news anymore, but watching a kicker single-handedly dismantle the Chiefs’ second-stringers was a weirdly satisfying way to end a year that most of us would rather forget.
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Breaking Down the Score to the Raiders Game
Let’s look at how we got to 14-12. If you like high-flying offenses, this was not your game. It was a slugfest of field goals and punts. The Chiefs, sitting at 6-11 and clearly looking toward their own offseason rebuild, led 3-0 after the first quarter. By halftime, the Raiders had managed to scrape together two field goals to take a 6-3 lead.
The fourth quarter is where the wheels usually come off for Las Vegas, and for a second, it looked like that was happening again. Harrison Butker knocked through a 41-yarder with 1:01 remaining to give Kansas City a 12-11 lead. Allegiant went quiet. You could almost hear the collective "here we go again" from the Black Hole.
But then Aidan O’Connell found Michael Mayer for 21 yards. Then Ashton Jeanty—who, by the way, just broke Josh Jacobs’ rookie scrimmage yards record—squirted loose for a few more. It set the stage for Carlson's 60-yard heroics.
Key Performance Stats from the Finale
- Aidan O’Connell: 102 passing yards. Yeah, you read that right. Not a typo. It was a tough day through the air.
- Ashton Jeanty: 87 rushing yards on 26 carries. He finished the season with 1,321 yards from scrimmage. He’s the real deal.
- Tyree Wilson: 2.0 sacks. He finally looked like the guy the Raiders drafted him to be.
- Daniel Carlson: 4-for-4 on field goals, including the 60-yard winner.
The Reality of a 3-14 Season
Look, a win over the Chiefs is always great. It’s the first time the Raiders have beaten them in Las Vegas. But we have to be real about the context here. This win ended a 10-game losing streak. It was the first victory against an AFC West opponent all year.
The score to the raiders game might be a "W" in the column, but it didn't save Pete Carroll’s job. On January 5, just a day after the confetti settled, the news broke that Carroll was out. Three head coaches in three seasons. That’s the kind of instability that keeps a franchise at the bottom of the division.
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The defense actually showed up this year, surprisingly. Maxx Crosby finished second in the league in tackles for loss with 28. Devin White, who some thought was "washed" before he signed, broke the franchise record for total tackles with 174. The pieces are there on that side of the ball. The offense? Well, that's a different story.
Why the Offense Stalled
Honestly, it felt like the Raiders were playing 1950s football in a 2026 world. They ranked 32nd in points scored. They couldn't convert on third downs, and the red zone was basically a "no-fly zone" for touchdowns. Chip Kelly’s system never really clicked, and he was out by November, leaving Greg Olson to try and patch the holes with duct tape.
When you look at the score to the raiders game, you see 14 points. That was their average for much of the season. You can’t win in the NFL consistently if you’re relying on your kicker to outscore the other team's offense.
What This Means for the 2026 Draft
Because the Raiders managed to win this last game, they potentially shifted their draft position. They finished tied for the worst record in the league with the Jets and Titans, but tiebreakers are a fickle thing.
The focus now shifts entirely to the front office. John Spytek, the GM, has a massive task ahead. They need a quarterback. They need an offensive line that can actually protect whoever that quarterback ends up being. And they need a coach who isn't going to be looking for the exit sign in twelve months.
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Actionable Next Steps for Raiders Fans
If you're wondering what to do now that the season is over and the score to the raiders game is finalized, here is the roadmap:
- Watch the Coaching Search: The Raiders need someone who can develop a young QB. Names like Ben Johnson or even a return to a more modern offensive mind will be at the top of the list.
- Track Ashton Jeanty’s Health: He was the lone bright spot. Making sure he’s the centerpiece of the 2026 offense is priority number one.
- Draft Prep: Start looking at the top three QB prospects. The Raiders will almost certainly be in a position to grab one of the "big three" or trade up to secure their guy.
- Free Agency Focus: Look for the Raiders to target offensive tackle depth. They can't let another season go by where their QB is the most-hit player in the AFC West.
The season ended on a high note with a 60-yard kick, but the work is just beginning. A 14-12 win is a nice memory for a Sunday afternoon, but it's the 14 losses that will define what happens this spring in Las Vegas.