Chiefs’ rivalry with Raiders needs new life

By Mike Ash  |   Wednesday, October 17, 2007  |  Comments( 20 )

Kansas City Chiefs
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In December 2002, after their final game of the season, the dejected Kansas City Chiefs walked off the field soaked in rain and covered in mud. With star running back Priest Holmes on the sideline with a career-threatening hip injury, the Chiefs' slim playoff hopes had been dashed by a 24-0 loss to the Raiders. Worse yet, the win allowed their rivals to clinch the top seed in the AFC playoffs.

But a funny thing happened as Kansas City's players sulked away in silence. The dark clouds hovering over the stadium on that rainy day in Oakland began to part. And the sun began shining through, bathing the Chiefs in a warm glow as they headed back to their locker room.

Well, in a figurative sense, at least.

The Chiefs haven't lost a game to Oakland since that soggy afternoon in 2002. Their most recent win last December made it eight straight victories over the silver and black, a Raider record for consecutive losses to one team. The San Diego Chargers matched the eight-win mark with their triumph over the Raiders last week, but Kansas City can extend its streak to nine with a victory in Oakland on Sunday.

Unfortunately, the lopsided nature of the feud in recent years has put a damper on what used to be one of the NFL's most heated rivalries. While the games have been close - each contest since 2003 except one has been decided by a touchdown or less - four straight years of the Chiefs sweeping the series has taken much of the excitement away.

One has to wonder if the players even see it as much of a rivalry anymore. Only a handful of current Chiefs were actually on the team's roster the last time they lost a game to the Raiders. In terms of heated battles where both teams have something at stake, it's Kansas City's feud with the Denver Broncos that has jumped to the forefront in recent years.

A win by the Raiders this weekend, though, and the long-running grudge between the two teams could find new life. And this may be Oakland's best chance to get a win in quite some time.

The Chiefs' offensive line is struggling. When Larry Johnson gets the football, more often than not there's simply no room for him to run. Even against the Cincinnati Bengals' weak rush defense last week, Johnson only averaged 3.8 yards per carry. Some have taken to blaming Johnson for the problems in the run game, claiming he's not trying as hard as he used to. But before being traded to Tampa Bay, backup Michael Bennett was averaging a full yard fewer on his carries than Johnson. There's simply no holes for the backs to run through.

Even with this knowledge in hand, however, Oakland may not have the ability to exploit Kansas City's weakness. The Raiders' run defense has been just as bad as the Bengals', and their pass rush is ranked 27th in the NFL with just seven sacks so far. That means their defensive line isn't playing especially well in any aspect of the game, so the Chiefs' lineman may be in for an easier battle than they've seen in recent weeks.

On the other side of the coin, the Raiders' offense will see a rush defense that's nothing special itself. But the key will be for Oakland's offensive line to find a way to slow down the Chiefs' pass rush. Kansas City is tied for second place in the league with 19 sacks, and the Raiders' line has already given up 16, ranking them 25th in pass protection. The Chiefs' line is actually ranked a spot behind Oakland's in that regard, but their offense has called about 70 more pass plays along the way.

Most games are won and lost in the trenches, and Sunday's AFC West battle will be no different. If the Raiders can mount enough of an attack on the Chiefs' offensive line to eliminate Johnson as a factor, they could finally break Kansas City's stranglehold on this series.

But if the Chiefs can keep their running game going against the Raiders' suspect defense, they should be able to send Oakland to its 17th straight loss in the division. And, in the process, continue the cool-down of this formerly red-hot rivalry.
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CommentsComments: 20  |  Sign Up  View all comments
No.1
fr8ttrain		08:26 AM
10/18/2007
I think this is a statement game for both teams. The Raiders win and they are over the hump regarding AFC West losing streak, ...
No.2
Chief Tom		10:03 AM
10/18/2007
Yeah the other team(raiders) has to win at least every once in a while for it to be a rivalry. I consider Denver to be the team ...
No.3
EPRAIDER		10:33 AM
10/18/2007
Big game, this one's on the D. Stopping the run is nice and all but stopping the pass is easier and effective. But where is the ...
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