Did the refs save the Chiefs with sketchy late call vs. Raiders?

It wouldn't be a Kansas City Chiefs game if it didn't come down to the final possession. And it wouldn't be an NFL game if there wasn't controversy involving the referees.

On Black Friday, the Chiefs beat the Las Vegas Raiders, 19-17. They secured the W by recovering a botched snap with just a few seconds left on the clock. The Raiders had been in field goal range.

What was the controversy? Flags were thrown and whistles blown on that botched snap. If it had been ruled a false start, the Raiders would have maintained possession. However, the refs huddled and officially ruled it an illegal shift, which allowed the result of the play to stand.

Fans on Twitter immediately called out some sketchy decision-making from the officials.

Did the refs get it right at the end of Chiefs win over Raiders?

As with most controversies, it's not as simple as a yes or no. Let's break this whole thing down.

Was it a false start or an illegal shift?

The referee at the top of the screen clearly calls a false start. However, a false start occurs when a player who is set moves before the snap. In this case, players weren't set when the ball was snapped — that's illegal motion.

It matters which penalty was called because a false start is a dead ball foul. The play is over at that point. An illegal shift is not a dead ball foul, meaning the play can continue after the flag is thrown. That's why the Chiefs were awarded the ball, because the fumble was live.

Should the Chiefs have been awarded the fumble recovery?

This is where it gets more tricky. We should all be able to agree by the letter of the law that the Raiders committed an illegal shift. However, the ref at the top of the screen clearly felt he was calling a false start. He threw his flag, ran onto the field and blew his whistle, killing the play.

If you watch the replay again, you can see the side judge with his whistle in his mouth before the ball was recovered by either team. Crowd noise makes it difficult to hear on the broadcast, but the players closest to that sideline stop as though they've heard the whistle.

So now we get into "recovering a fumble after the play is whistled dead" territory.

A team can be awarded the turnover for a "clear recovery" after the whistle has blown, so long as it's part of the "continuing action." In this case, the refs awarded the recovery to the Chiefs. I'm just not convinced it was a clear recovery.

A clear recovery should be a situation where only one team realistically had the opportunity to recover the ball. Here, a Raiders player and Chiefs player both dived at the ball at the same time. The defender comes way with the ball, but that's only after the whistle was blowing. The left side of the LV line and the KC players attacking them all slowed up instead of running to dog pile the ball. The whistle impacted the play.

TL;DR Refs got the Raiders penalty right and the Chiefs recovery wrong

So here's where I stand at least: The refs properly called an illegal shift. The ruling that the Chiefs made a clear recovery was flawed. The fact that there was no mention of the whistle suggests they weren't even factoring that into their decision.

The Raiders should have retained possession, but this was also a disaster of their own making. Multiple missed field goals and miscommunication in the most important moment of the game lost it for them.