Raiders coach Pete Carroll defends late field-goal call after trailing by 10 with seconds left – and explains the thinking behind it. In the final moments of Las Vegas' 24-17 loss to Denver, Carroll opted to attempt a 46-yard field goal rather than go for a quick punt or kick onside with more time on the clock. After the game, he shared that he pressed for the officials to add eight seconds to the clock instead of five, hoping that the extra few seconds would give the Raiders a chance at an onside kick and another opportunity to regain possession.
“I know it looked foolish, like I couldn’t figure out why we were doing it,” Carroll said on Monday. “But there was a clear plan in mind—to push the clock to the very last moment. It might not be convincing to everyone, but you can see what we were trying to accomplish; unfortunately, it didn’t work out.”
The sequence unfolded after Las Vegas trailed 24-7 with four minutes remaining. Backup quarterback Kenny Pickett led a late rally, throwing a touchdown to Shedrick Jackson to trim the gap to 24-14. On the next Raiders possession, Pickett connected with Tyler Lockett for 26 yards, setting up the field goal that sealed the outcome.
Carroll also addressed public reception to the decision, noting that he doesn’t tailor coaching decisions to public opinion or the views of any single individual. “I can’t bend to the public sentiment or someone else’s,” he stated. “I have to do my job the right way and to the best of my ability.”
In other news from the day, Carroll announced a season-ending injury for cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly, who ruptured his patellar tendon against the Broncos. Kelly appeared in 13 games (eight starts) and led the team with three interceptions this season.
