It’s Chiefs versus Raiders today and time to talk about the Raiders biggest rival and whose owner, Lamar Hunt, betrayed Al Davis as the AFL commissioner to join the NFL. Since 1960, Kansas and Oakland have played 102 times, with the Chiefs ahead 67-53-2.
Raiders: Invading Arrowhead 2019: A Look back at the Rivalry
The merger feud
Hunt, was the primary driver of the merger, and mainly responsible for Pete Rozelle getting the nod as commissioner and not Davis. Hunt and other owners used Davis to build up the AFL for competition and then, used it as leverage to merge. He was working behind the scenes with the NFL the whole time. In the 60s-70s, both teams provided hostility on the field and even got into meeles in the AFL and NFL alike. Both were AFL champions and both lost to the Packers in the first two Super Bowls (Chiefs in ’67, Raiders in ’68). They tied the 60’s rivalry 11-11
The 70’s and 80’s matches were pretty much controlled by the Raiders with a 24-13-2 record.
Related: 3 Key Raiders Offensive Players vs the Chiefs
New era
Things started to change in the late 80’s to early 90’s when Marty Schottenheimer took over as the Chiefs head coach. Shortly after, he acquired veteran running back Marcus Allen from the Raiders to further anger Davis. Schottenheimer was an NFL guy, he hated Davis and the Raiders as he felt they disrespected the league. He could not understand or tolerate Davis’ business ethics and made it a point to stick it to him. Chiefs owned the 90’s with an 18-3 record.
Short shift back
In the late 90’s, quarterback Rich Gannon was rotting away on Chiefs bench, getting passed up on more than one occasion. In ’99, he became a free agent and signed with Raiders. His short tenure as Raiders quarterback gave him a 6-3 record over Chiefs. After Gannon retired, Raiders went downhill and the 2000’s were mostly Chief years with a 12-8 record.
The rivalry lives on
Hunt and Davis have passed on but the rivalry is still alive and controlled by Chiefs with a 12-7 record. They are the current division champions, three years running and have been a thorn in Raiders side. Most notably, Raiders have not won in Arrowhead since 2012.
With all the new blood roaming on the silver and black sidelines, it is safe to say this is not the same Raiders team. With the end of the decade just weeks away, it is time for Raiders to turn it around and start the next decade off with a bang.
Fun fact: Speaking of ending a decade, did you know Raiders are the only team in NFL history to play a championship game in every decade until 2010’s? If they somehow make it to the AFC championship this year, it would still hold true. Although the championship would be in 2020, it would still be part of the 2019 season.
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