Throughout much of the Patrick Mahomes era, the Kansas City Chiefs have dominated their competition. In 2024, however, the Chiefs have strung together a remarkable run of close wins, with nine of their 11 victories coming by a single score of more. Kansas City has made a habit of pulling out games in incredibly unexpected ways, and Friday's 19–17 win over the Las Vegas Raiders may be their pièce de résistance.

Raiders quarterback Aidan O'Connell engineered a promising two-minute drill, driving the Raiders from their own 8-yard line into field goal range. On a third-and-3 from the Chiefs' 32-yard line with 15 seconds left, center Jackson Powers-Johnson snapped the ball early to an unprepared O'Connell, hitting him in the chest. The Kansas City defense recovered, and after a lengthy discussion among the officials, the play was ruled a turnover, sealing the game for the Chiefs.

A Raiders field goal was no guarantee, but Kansas City was in deep trouble until it was bailed out by the fluky play. Fans and members of the media watching the Black Friday showdown couldn't believe that the Chiefs pulled yet another rabbit out of a hat to move to 11–1 and clinch a playoff spot.

While any team would sign for an 11–1 start to the season and an early playoff berth, Kansas City is far from a perfect team. Two tight wins against Las Vegas—now 2–10 on the season—raise real concerns for the defending Super Bowl champions.

The Chiefs will look to put together a more complete performance when they return on Sunday, Dec. 8 against another potential playoff team out of the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers.

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This article was originally published on www.si.com as NFL Fans Can't Get Over Bizarre Finish to Chiefs' Win Over Raiders.