Whether the Raiders are in Oakland, Los Angeles or Las Vegas, one thing has remained constant: a deep rivalry with the Kansas City Chiefs. While each of the AFC West's fan bases would likely choose the Raiders are their biggest rival, if Raiders fans had to choose, the most common answer would be the Chiefs, with the Denver Broncos coming in second, and the Los Angeles Chargers a distant third.
Despite Kansas City controlling the division for the past decade and the Raiders being subpar for over 20 years, the rivalry, which dates back to 1960, when the teams were in the AFL Western Conference and the Chiefs were known as the Dallas Texans, runs rampant. That became evident in 2020, when Jon Gruden led the team on a victory lap around Arrowhead Stadium after beating them.
Three years later, their upset victory over the Chiefs, once again at Arrowhead Stadium, was likely the reason that interim head coach Antonio Pierce was hired after the season. While fans of both franchises understand the importance of the matchup, Pete Carroll sees things differently.
Pete Carroll makes shocking statement on Raiders-Chiefs rivalry
Carroll will have his first opportunity to participate in the longstanding rivalry between the Raiders and the Chiefs in Week 7. His comments on the matchup, however, will shock fans, as he downplayed its significance.
"I don't see it as a rivalry, in that regard. The way you're thinking of it. This is an opportunity against a team that's dominated our division for a long time, and you have to beat good teams if you're going to be any good," Carroll said. "And you have to beat good teams in your division if you're going to be any good. So, it's a great opportunity for us to play these guys. They're kind of rolling right now. They've been going good the last few weeks, and it's going to be very difficult."
While Carroll's point is well-taken that the Chiefs have dominated the Raiders over the years and seen incredible success, a rivalry is a rivalry. These are the rare games where the two teams can throw their records out the window and their familiarity with each other, plus the individual battles that have grown between players, almost matter more than the game plan.
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Although Carroll may not see it as a rivalry, his two biggest offseason acquisitions made it clear that they are ready for the matchup. Geno Smith discussed his first opportunity to face the Chiefs in the Silver and Black.
"Just from afar, what I've witnessed is the Raiders have seemed to get up for the Chiefs. No matter what the records are, it's always a close game, it's always a tough game from what I've seen," Geno said. "And then, just the history of both teams in the league and how historic they both are, and how much they've fought for the same things every single year. So, it's going to be new to me as far as being a part of this rivalry, but I know what's at stake, and we all do, so we're looking forward to it."
Rookie Ashton Jeanty also revealed that he is looking forward to his first career matchup against Kansas City.
"It seems like them boys don't like each other, but I'm a part of it now, so I'm excited for it," Jeanty said. "Rivalry games are always a lot of fun. It's going to be a little more chippy, playing harder, so I'm excited for it."
While Carroll's comments on the rivalry will likely baffle fans, it appears that the locker room is prepared for a hard-fought game against the Chiefs. Las Vegas will have an opportunity to make a statement if it can leave Kansas City with a victory and head into the Week 8 bye sitting at 3-4.