Aidan O’Connell addresses Raiders’ game-ending fumble

Dec 25, 2023; Kansas City, Missouri, USA; Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell (4) shouts toward the sidelines against the Kansas City Chiefs during the game at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Denny Medley-Imagn Images

Las Vegas Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell fell on the sword over his team’s botched final play in Friday’s loss to the Kansas City Chiefs.

O’Connell took all the blame for the dropped snap that cost the Raiders a chance at a game-winning field goal during the final seconds of Friday’s 19-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City, Mo. The quarterback blamed himself for clapping too early, which is what prompted rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson to snap the ball.

“There’s really no one to blame but myself,” O’Connell told reporters.

Aidan O'Connell takes the blame for the botched snap. He acknowledges he was clapping too early and that rookie center Jackson Powers-Johnson did what he is coached to do when the QB is clapping. "There's really no one to blame but myself," AOC says.

— Jonathan Jones (@jjones9) November 29, 2024

Powers-Johnson also took full responsibility for the play, blaming a miscommunication and pinning the entire loss on himself.

#Raiders C Jackson Powers-Johnson said it was a miscommunication on the final offensive play. He thought O'Connell was calling for the snap, but he wasn't. He shouldered the blame.

"We didn't come up short," Powers-Johnson said, "I came up short."

— Tashan Reed (@tashanreed) November 29, 2024

The Raiders were in position for a potential game-winning field goal when the miscommunication happened, and it cost Las Vegas the game when the Chiefs recovered the ensuing fumble (video here). Any play that gets botched that badly rarely falls on one person. O’Connell was not ready for the snap, and one could certainly argue he should have been prepared for the possibility when he started clapping. It should also be noted that Raiders right guard Dylan Parham tapped Powers-Johnson and directed him to snap the ball, so he also deserves some share of the responsibility.

Ultimately, the Raiders looked like an inexperienced and poorly-coached outfit when it mattered most. That falls on everyone, not just O’Connell.