It is no secret that the Las Vegas Raiders have long been the enemies of the NFL. The legendary Al Davis butted heads with former commissioner Pete Rozelle, and Raider Nation has been sentenced to a lifetime of frustration and getting the short end of the stick as a result.
This makes the Kansas City Chiefs being the current darlings of the NFL all the more frustrating. Andy Reid, Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce have been an elite enough trio to stand on their own two feet, but the conspiracies about their getting special favors and favorable calls are too much to ignore.
With the Raiders heading to Arrowhead Stadium to take on the Chiefs in Week 7, fans are already apprehensive about how the game will mysteriously slip between the team's fingers if they can keep it close. But the groundwork for Kansas City having a big advantage was laid months ago.
Raiders fans hope team is prepared for Rashee Rice-infused Chiefs offense
Star Chiefs wide receiver Rashee Rice was involved in a serious off-the-field incident before last season, but somehow, he escaped punishment from the NFL for the entire 2024 campaign. When he was finally forced to face the music this offseason, he was handed a measly six-game suspension.
While fans can decide for themselves if this punishment fits the crime, more to the point is that, of course, Rice's suspension has been lifted ahead of the Week 7 bout between the Chiefs and the Raiders. So, Kansas City will get a massive boost when its AFC West foe comes to town.
Rice is not just some insignificant player for the Chiefs either. He recorded 938 yards and seven touchdowns as a rookie in 2023, blossoming into Mahomes' No. 1 wide receiver target. He also contributed 288 yards and two touchdowns in just four games in an injury-shortened 2024 campaign.
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There have been varying reports about how much he'll play, as ESPN's Jeremy Fowler said that Kansas City will allocate a heavy workload to Rice immediately. Reid responded by confirming that Rice is part of the game plan, but jokingly said reporters should ask Fowler how many snaps he'll get.
Kansas City's offense had a rough go to start the year, as it averaged just 20.0 points per game over the first three weeks. They've clearly hit their stride, however, as they're averaging 31.7 points in the three games since, and they're red-hot coming off a relative thrashing of the Detroit Lions.
Las Vegas' secondary has been shaky, at best, this season, and facing off against Mahomes, Kelce, and now Rice will be a handful. Hopefully, throwing Rice back into the mix will throw off the rhythm and undo all the work Kansas City has done while righting the ship in the past three weeks.
More likely, however, is that the Chiefs pick up where they left off with Rice in the lineup. This will leave the Raiders to feel the full effects of yet another way for the NFL to subtly screw them to the benefit of their golden child team, who doesn't need any more advantages over Las Vegas than they already have.