By Fred Liggett
FredL@lstribune.net
The long-time series between the Raiders and the Chiefs will gain another entry this week when the Chiefs visit Las Vegas to renew the rivalry between the two AFC West Division rivals. NFL fans will tell you from experience that when these two teams play one can guarantee a surprise or two no matter the records. Here in 2021 many surprises have happened off the field before the teams take the field for the first of two meetings this season.
During the off-season the hope for Raiders fans was to end the Chiefs AFC West Division title streak at five years in a row. What was expected this week was the Raiders to use home field advantage to gain ground on the Chiefs, but a check of the division standings heading into week 10 shows the Raiders with a half-game lead. Halfway through the season the Raiders check in at 5-3, the Chiefs at 5-4.
There will also be the surprise of a few missing faces on the Raiders sideline for this Sunday night game. Most prominent of those missing is now former Las Vegas head coach Jon Gruden who suddenly resigned on Monday night, Oct. 11. Gruden’s sudden departure didn’t seem to faze the Raiders players much as they promptly went 2-0 over the next two weeks. Filling the role the rest of the season is Raiders interim coach Rich Bisaccia.
Gruden’s leaving was followed by the exits of two 2020 first round draft picks by the Raiders. WR Henry Ruggs, III was released a day after an off the field incident that resulted in his arrest. CB Damon Arnette was released due to a questionable social media post. Without a popular coach and two missing pieces on the field the Raiders may be due for some trouble on the field. The Raiders found some trouble just last week falling to the New York Giants 23-16.
No matter who ends up coaching or playing in this edition of the Chiefs/Raiders rivalry just like always one can expect a lot of hard hits on defense and big plays on offense. Due to that history NBC will have Al Michael’s and Chris Collinsworth giving the game the full Sunday Night Football in America TV coverage.
The Chiefs have won 11 out of the last 13 games between these two teams including their last meeting which was played on a Sunday night in Las Vegas. Chiefs fans may recall a game winning score with just 28 seconds left to play to win it 35-31. With both teams fully aware of their current standing in the AFC West expect another close one on this Sunday night in Las Vegas. The result will be the same too as the resurgent Chiefs win their third game in a row to improve to 6-4. That’s What I REID Into It for this week.
