The Kansas City Chiefs clinch top spot in AFC playoffs, Chargers and Broncos battle till the bitter end, and Las Vegas Raiders find another way to lose.
Playing on Saturday Night Football, holding on to their last gasp of a playoff spot, the Las Vegas Raiders slid and knelt down to kick a field goal, only to lose improbably on a blown coverage and facemask penalty. Kansas City hosted the Atlanta Falcons at home and needed a missed kick from first-time pro-bowler Younghoe Koo to escape overtime, and the Los Angeles Chargers took an early lead in their matchup against the Denver Broncos but needed a field goal and interception to finally put it away.
Here is a recap of all the action that happened in the AFC West this week.
Las Vegas Raiders
The Miami Dolphins did not eliminate the Las Vegas Raiders from playoff contention, they did that to themselves. The Raiders did enough to win on Saturday offensively and defensively up until the last minute of the game, as they had the ball goal to go with a little over a minute to go in the fourth quarter.
Running back Josh Jacobs had an easy touchdown run but slid down to preserve some clock, then after a kneel down, the Raiders trotted their field goal kicker to take a two-point lead. After the kickoff, the Dolphins had 19 seconds and the ball at their 25-yard line before the Raiders found another way to blow a game.
Wide receiver Mack Hollins, who dropped an easy touchdown earlier in the game, somehow got behind the Raiders secondary, and backup quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick hit him for a long completion while simultaneously getting pulled down by his facemask. The Dolphins then won on a last-second kick by Jason Sanders.
The loss eliminated the Raiders from playoff contention, and another losing season may be on the horizon.