The Las Vegas Raiders had a prime opportunity to get back on track against the Chicago Bears in Week 4 of the 2025 NFL season. After dropping two straight games, they returned home to Allegiant Stadium and took on a 1-2 team in a favorable matchup.
Unfortunately, despite a strong overall performance from the Silver and Black, the team still fell short by a score of 25-24. Veteran quarterback Geno Smith sank the Raiders with his three interceptions, but he did just enough on the final drive to put the team in field goal position.
If Daniel Carlson made the kick, Las Vegas would have emerged victorious and gotten back to .500, earning their first home win under the new regime. If they missed, they would drop their third-straight contest, putting them at 1-3. Ultimately, the kick was blocked, and the Raiders lost in a disaster.
Bears player revealed exactly how Raiders gave up game-losing FG block
Bears cornerback Josh Blackwell was the player who got his hands on the Carlson kick, as he got an incredible jump off the ball and timed things perfectly. It turns out that he was able to do so because of something that Chicago learned while watching film of Las Vegas ahead of the game.
"Throughout the week, [Bears long snapper] Scott Daly had given us a little tip with the [Raiders' long] snapper. He would move the ball right before he would snap it," Blackwell said. "The first two [field goal attempts], we got really good jumps, and I'm like, 'I'm close, Imma get one.' [Bears special teams coordinator Richard Hightower] was like, 'We got to get this kick blocked,' and I got a good jump."
Bears long snapper Scott Daly told Josh Blackwell the Raiders long snapper moved the ball before every snap 👀
— Marquee Sports Network (@WatchMarquee) September 29, 2025
Blackwell blocked the Raiders' go-ahead field goal! pic.twitter.com/gp20gIONQC
Learning this detail is a bit more brutal for Raider Nation. Sometimes, players just have great instincts, or a player misses a block, and that explains it. But a recurring tell from longsnapper Jacob Bobenmoyer is something that he or the coaching staff should have caught, but they didn't.
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Of course, it did not help that Michael Mayer, who is typically the right-side wing blocker on field goals, was out this week with a concussion. That threw Jonah Laulu into expected action, and he missed the block that led to Blackwell blocking Carlson's kick.
But, ultimately, this falls squarely on the shoulders of Bobemoyer, who gave away to the Bears' field goal block team that the Raiders were snapping the ball. This allowed Blackwell to finally time things perfectly and take the game into his own hands.
Obviously, the coaching staff will need to sort this out as the weeks go on, because special teams are a critical aspect of the game, and as everyone just watched, it cost Las Vegas in Week 4.