Chiefs–Raiders rivalry

Chiefs–Raiders

Kansas City Chiefs Las Vegas Raiders
First meeting	September 16, 1960 Texans 34, Raiders 16
Latest meeting	November 22, 2020 Chiefs 35, Raiders 31
Next meeting	2021
Statistics
Meetings total	122
All-time series	Chiefs, 68–54–2
Postseason results	Chiefs, 2–1 December 22, 1968: Raiders 41, Chiefs 6 January 4, 1970: Chiefs 17, Raiders 7 December 28, 1991: Chiefs 10, Raiders 6
Largest victory	Chiefs, 42–7 (1964) Raiders, 41–6 (1968)
Longest win streak	Chiefs: 9 (2003–07) Raiders: 7 (1975–78)
Current win streak	Chiefs 1, (2020–present)
Playoff and Championship Success
AFL Championships (4) (1960—1969) Chiefs (3) – 1962, 1966, 1969 Raiders (1) – 1967 Super Bowl championships (5) Chiefs (2) – 1969 (IV), 2019 (LIV) Raiders (3) – 1976 (XI), 1980 (XV), 1983 (XVIII) AFL Western Division Championships (5) (1960—1969) Chiefs (2) – 1962, 1966 Raiders (3) – 1967, 1968, 1969 Super Bowl Appearances (9) Chiefs (4) – 1966, 1969, 2019, 2020 Raiders (5) – 1967, 1976, 1980, 1983, 2002 AFC West Divisional Championships (23) (1970–present) Chiefs (11) – 1971, 1993, 1995, 1997, 2003, 2010, 2016, 2017, 2018, 2019, 2020 Raiders (12) – 1970, 1972, 1973, 1974, 1975, 1976, 1983, 1985, 1990, 2000, 2001, 2002 AFC Wild-Card berths (14) (1970–present) Chiefs (8) – 1986, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1994, 2006, 2013, 2015 Raiders (6) – 1977, 1980, 1984, 1991, 1993, 2016

The Chiefs–Raiders rivalry is a National Football League (NFL) rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Las Vegas Raiders. The rivalry between the Chiefs and Raiders is considered to be one of the NFL's most bitter rivalries. Since the American Football League (AFL) was established in 1960, the Chiefs and Raiders have shared the same division, first being the AFL Western Conference, and since the AFL–NFL merger in 1970, the AFC West.

Kansas City is one of only five teams in the AFC with a winning overall record against Vegas (the Baltimore Ravens, Houston Texans, Jacksonville Jaguars, and New England Patriots are the other four).

History

The teams first met in 1960 when the Chiefs were known as the Dallas Texans. The Texans defeated the Raiders 34–16 in the team's first game at Oakland, then the Raiders defeated the Texans 20–19 at Dallas.

The rivalry did not become so apparent until the Kansas City Athletics baseball team moved to Oakland, California, in 1967. In 1969, the Kansas City Royals expansion team was placed in the same division as the Athletics. The 1966 Chiefs team participated in the first AFL-NFL World Championship Game, later known as the Super Bowl. The Chiefs and Raiders had identical 12–2 records in 1968 and faced off in a playoff game to decide who would go to face the New York Jets for the AFL Championship. The Raiders won, 41–6.

The Raiders playing the Chiefs in the 1969 AFL championship game

The following year, in 1969, the Raiders beat the Chiefs twice in the regular season and went on to win the AFL Western Conference title. The teams met in the 1969 AFL Championship Game at Oakland and the underdog Chiefs won 17–7. The Chiefs participated in Super Bowl IV a week later and defeated the NFL's heavily favored Minnesota Vikings. It was not until 1976 that Oakland won their first Super Bowl championship.

In the first meeting between the teams during the 1970 NFL season—both teams' first in the newly merged NFL—the Chiefs held a 17–14 lead late in the fourth quarter and appeared ready to run out the clock. Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson rolled right and gained enough yardage for a first down, and as he fell to the ground, Raiders defensive end Ben Davidson dove into Dawson with his helmet; in retaliation, Davidson was attacked by Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor. After a bench-clearing brawl, Davidson and Taylor were ejected, and the penalties that were called nullified the first down under the rules at the time. Kansas City was forced to punt. The Raiders took advantage, as George Blanda made a 48-yard field goal with 8 seconds left to secure a 17–17 tie. The tie proved to be costly for the Chiefs, as Oakland clinched their first AFC West championship with a 20–6 victory in Oakland in Week 13. Due to this incident, the NFL changed the rules so that Davidson's personal foul would have been enforced at the end of the play, and Taylor's penalty would have been assessed only after the Chiefs had been awarded a first down.

The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 42–10 in the 1975 season, prompting the Chiefs' live horse mascot Warpaint to circle the field after each touchdown scored. After the game, Raiders coach John Madden said "We couldn't beat the Chiefs, but we damn near killed their horse."

The Raiders won two more Super Bowl titles in 1980 and 1983 while the Chiefs were considered to be one of the worst teams in the NFL. The Raiders won most of the games between the 1970s and 1980s. Following their victory in Super Bowl IV, the Chiefs returned to the playoffs in 1971, but lost in double overtime to the Miami Dolphins in the divisional round in the longest game in NFL history, the final game at Kansas City. Following that loss, Kansas City did not return to the playoffs until 1986.

In the final game of the 1999 season, the Chiefs and Raiders faced off at Kansas City. A win for the Chiefs would put them in the playoffs. A game plagued by special teams mistakes for the Chiefs, including three attempted kickoffs that ended up out of bounds by kickoff specialist Jon Baker, helped keep the Raiders in the game and stop the Chiefs from sealing the victory. The game went into overtime and, helped by favorable field position after the third and final kickoff out of bounds, former Chief Rich Gannon drove the Raiders into Chiefs territory, setting up the game-winning field goal and knocking the Chiefs out of the playoffs, their first win at Arrowhead since 1988.

On October 21, 2007, the Chiefs defeated the Raiders for a record ninth straight victory. On November 25, 2007, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in Arrowhead for Oakland's first victory over Kansas City since December 23, 2002.

On September 14, 2008, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs 23–8 for the second straight time in Kansas City. Rookie Darren McFadden compiled 210 rushing yards and a touchdown. On November 30, 2008, the Chiefs defeated the Raiders for the sixth straight time in Oakland.

On September 20, 2009, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs 13–10, in Kansas City for the third straight time. The Chiefs became one of the few teams to lose to quarterback JaMarcus Russell. On November 15, 2009, the Chiefs defeated the Raiders 16–10 in Oakland Coliseum for the Chiefs' seventh straight victory in Oakland.

On November 7, 2010, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in OT 23–20 in a match-up that revived the Chiefs–Raiders rivalry. It marked the 99th time these teams have met in the regular season and 102nd overall. On January 2, 2011, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs in Kansas City for the fourth straight time, 31–10, to finish a sweep of the AFC West.

On October 3, 2011, a Raiders fan filed a lawsuit against the Chiefs and two unidentified Chiefs fans, claiming that security did nothing as he was beaten during a brawl at Kansas City in 2009.

The Chiefs broke Oakland's six-game winning streak in Kansas City on October 13, 2013, when they defeated the Raiders, 24–7, in a game where Kansas City set a then world record for the loudest open-air venue at over 137 dB.

On November 20, 2014, the Raiders snapped a 16-game losing streak in Oakland against the Chiefs while Kansas City was in a four-game winning streak the week after the Chiefs defeated the defending Super Bowl champions, the Seattle Seahawks. The loss ended up costing Kansas City a playoff berth.

In 2015, the Kansas City Chiefs swept the season series between these two teams.

In 2016, both teams were at the top of the AFC for the entire season, with Oakland securing their first winning season and first playoff appearance since 2002. The Chiefs beat Oakland twice, 26–10 in Oakland and in Kansas City 21–13. Both teams ended the regular season with a 12–4 record and with the series sweep, Kansas City won the AFC West and a first round bye while Oakland was relegated to Wild Card status and the fifth seed in the AFC playoffs.

The Chiefs and Raiders met for a Thursday Night match-up on October 19, 2017 in Oakland, with the Chiefs at a 5–1 record and the Raiders at a 2–4 record. The Raiders won the game 31–30 with a touchdown pass at the very end of the game, which followed two Chiefs defensive penalties, also including a scuffle between the two teams that led to Raiders running back Marshawn Lynch getting ejected. The game snapped a four-game losing streak for Oakland in the season, and also a five-game losing streak against the Chiefs in the rivalry.

Season-by-season results

Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders Season-by-Season Results
1960s (Tie, 11–11) Season Season series at Dallas Texans/ K.C. Chiefs at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 1960 Tie 1–1 Raiders 20–19 Texans 34–16 Tie 1–1 Inaugural season for both franchises and the AFL. 1961 Texans 2–0 Texans 43–11 Texans 42–35 Texans 3–1 1962 Texans 2–0 Texans 35–7 Texans 26–16 Texans 5–1 Texans win 1962 AFL Championship. 1963 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 22–7 Raiders 10–7 Chiefs 5–3 Texans move to Kansas City and become the Kansas City Chiefs. 1964 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 42–7 Chiefs 21–9 Chiefss 7–3 1965 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 14–7 Raiders 37–10 Chiefs 8–4 1966 Tie 1–1 Raiders 34–14 Chiefs 32–10 Chiefs 9–5 Chiefs win 1966 AFL Championship, lose Super Bowl I. 1967 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 44–22 Raiders 23–21 Chiefs 9–7 Raiders win 1967 AFL Championship, lose Super Bowl II. 1968 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 24–10 Raiders 30–21 Chiefs 10–8 Raiders lose 1968 AFL Championship. 1968 Playoffs Raiders 1–0 Raiders 41–6 Chiefs 10–9 AFL Western Division Playoff. First postseason meeting between the two teams. 1969 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 27–24 Raiders 10–6 Raiders 11–10 Chiefs win 1969 AFL Championship, win Super Bowl IV. 1969 Playoffs Chiefs 1–0 Chiefs 17–7 Tie 11–11 AFL Championship Game. Chiefs become first Super Bowl representative (and champion) to not win their respective division.
1970s (Raiders, 12–6–2) Season Season series at Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 1970 Raiders 1–0–1 Tie 17–17 Raiders 20–6 Raiders 12–11–1 AFL-NFL merger. Both teams placed in AFC West. Late in the game in Kansas City, Ben Davidson and Otis Taylor fight leads to a bench clearing brawl. Offsetting penalties took a first down away from the Chiefs, forcing them to punt and allowing the Raiders to kick a game-tying field goal. 1971 Chiefs 1–0–1 Chiefs 16–14 Tie 20–20 Tie 12–12–2 Most recent tie game in the series. 1972 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 27–14 Raiders 26–3 Tie 13–13–2 Chiefs open Arrowhead Stadium. 1973 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 16–6 Raiders 37–7 Tie 14–14–2 1974 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 7–6 Raiders 27–7 Raiders 16–14–2 1975 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 42–10 Raiders 27–20 Raiders 17–15–2 1976 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 24–21 Raiders 21–10 Raiders 19–15–2 Raiders win Super Bowl XI. 1977 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 21–20 Raiders 37–28 Raiders 21–15–2 1978 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 20–10 Raiders 28–6 Raiders 23–15–2 Raiders win seven straight meetings. 1979 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 35–7 Chiefs 24–21 Raiders 23–17–2 Chiefs' first win in Oakland since 1969 AFL Championship.
1980s (Raiders, 12–7) Season Season series at Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland/L.A. Raiders Overall series Notes 1980 Tie 1–1 Raiders 27–14 Chiefs 31–17 Raiders 24–18–2 Raiders win Super Bowl XV. 1981 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 27–0 Chiefs 28–17 Raiders 24–20–2 1982 Raiders 1–0 Raiders 21–17 no game Raiders 25–20–2 Raiders move from Oakland to Los Angeles. Game in Los Angeles was cancelled due to the Players strike reducing season to 9 games. 1983 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 28–20 Raiders 21–20 Raiders 27–20–2 Raiders win Super Bowl XVIII. 1984 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 22–20 Raiders 17–7 Raiders 29–20–2 1985 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 36–20 Raiders 19–10 Raiders 30–21–2 1986 Tie 1–1 Raiders 24–17 Chiefs 20–17 Raiders 31–22–2 1987 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 16–10 Raiders 35–17 Raiders 32–23–2 1988 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 27–17 Raiders 17–10 Raiders 34–23–2 1989 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 24–19 Raiders 20–14 Raiders 35–24–2
1990s (Chiefs, 18–3) Season Season series at Kansas City Chiefs at L.A./Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 1990 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 9–7 Chiefs 27–24 Raiders 35–26–2 1991 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 24–21 Chiefs 27–21 Raiders 35–28–2 1991 Playoffs Chiefs 1–0 Chiefs 10–6 Raiders 35–29–2 AFC Wild Card playoffs. Third overall postseason meeting, but the only postseason meeting since the AFL-NFL merger. 1992 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 27–7 Raiders 28–7 Raiders 36–30–2 1993 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 24–9 Chiefs 31–20 Raiders 36–32–2 1994 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 13–3 Chiefs 19–9 Raiders 36–34–2 1995 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 23–17(OT) Chiefs 29–23 Tie 36–36–2 Raiders move from Los Angeles back to Oakland. 1996 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 19–3 Raiders 26–7 Tie 37–37–2 1997 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 30–0 Chiefs 28–27 Chiefs 39–37–2 1998 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 28–8 Chiefs 31–24 Chiefs 41–37–2 Chiefs win 11 straight home games (1989–98). 1999 Tie 1–1 Raiders 41–38(OT) Chiefs 37–34 Chiefs 42–38–2 Chiefs win 19 of 21 meetings dating back to 1989. Raiders win in Kansas city the final game of the regular season to keep the Chiefs out of the playoffs.
2000s (Chiefs, 12–8) Season Season series at Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 2000 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 20–17 Raiders 49–31 Chiefs 42–40–2 2001 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 27–24 Raiders 28–26 Tie 42–42–2 2002 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 20–10 Raiders 24–0 Tie 43–43–2 Raiders lose Super Bowl XXXVII. 2003 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 27–24 Chiefs 17–10 Chiefs 45–43–2 2004 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 31–30 Chiefs 34–27 Chiefs 47–43–2 Game in Kansas City played on Christmas. 2005 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 27–23 Chiefs 23–17 Chiefs 49–43–2 2006 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 17–13 Chiefs 20–9 Chiefs 51–43–2 2007 Tie 1–1 Raiders 20–17 Chiefs 12–10 Chiefs 52–44–2 Chiefs win nine straight meetings. 2008 Tie 1–1 Raiders 23–8 Chiefs 20–13 Chiefs 53–45–2 2009 Tie 1–1 Raiders 13–10 Chiefs 16–10 Chiefs 54–46–2 Chiefs win seven straight games in Oakland.
2010s (Chiefs, 13–7) Season Season series at Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland Raiders Overall series Notes 2010 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 31–10 Raiders 23–20(OT) Chiefs 54–48–2 Raiders sweep division but miss the playoffs, an NFL first. 2011 Tie 1–1 Raiders 16–13(OT) Chiefs 28–0 Chiefs 55–49–2 2012 Raiders 2–0 Raiders 26–16 Raiders 15–0 Chiefs 55–51–2 Raiders win six straight meetings in Kansas City. 2013 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 24–7 Chiefs 56–31 Chiefs 57–51–2 The Chiefs' 56–31 win in Oakland is the highest scoring game in the rivalry (87 points). 2014 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 31–13 Raiders 24–20 Chiefs 58–52–2 2015 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 23–17 Chiefs 34–20 Chiefs 60–52–2 2016 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 21–13 Chiefs 26–10 Chiefs 62–52–2 2017 Tie 1–1 Chiefs 26–15 Raiders 31–30 Chiefs 63–53–2 Raiders win game in Oakland after back-to-back holding calls against the Chiefs which allowed 2 consecutive untimed downs. 2018 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 35–3 Chiefs 40–33 Chiefs 65–53–2 Chiefs clinch the AFC West and the AFC's #1 seed with their home win in week 17. 2019 Chiefs 2–0 Chiefs 40–9 Chiefs 28–10 Chiefs 67–53–2 Chiefs win seven straight home meetings. Chiefs win Super Bowl LIV.
2020s (Tie, 1–1) Season Season series at Kansas City Chiefs at Las Vegas Raiders Overall series Notes 2020 Tie 1–1 Raiders 40–32 Chiefs 35–31 Chiefs 68–54–2 Raiders relocate to Las Vegas, Nevada.
Summary of Results Season Season series at Dallas Texans/Kansas City Chiefs at Oakland/L.A./L.V. Raiders Notes AFL regular season Tie 10–10 Tie 5–5 Tie 5–5 NFL regular season Chiefs 56–43–2 Chiefs 30–20–1 Chiefs 26–23–1 AFL and NFL regular season Chiefs 66–53–2 Chiefs 35–25–1 Chiefs 31–28–1 AFL and NFL postseason Chiefs 2–1 Chiefs 1–0 Tie 1–1 AFC Wild Card playoffs: 1991. AFL Western Divisional playoff: 1968. AFL Championship Game: 1969. Regular and postseason Chiefs 68–54–2 Chiefs 36–25–1 Chiefs 32–29–1

Connections between the teams

• Quarterback Rich Gannon, who was the Chiefs' starting quarterback in the late 1990s signed with the Raiders for the 1999 season and two years later was named NFL MVP.
• Wide receiver Andre Rison played for the Chiefs before getting cut prior to the 2000 NFL season. He signed with Oakland later that year.
• Running back Marcus Allen played for the Raiders in Los Angeles and led the Raiders to victory in Super Bowl XVIII. Allen signed with the Chiefs for the 1993 season after a feud with Raider Managing General Partner Al Davis became public. Allen later reportedly asked to be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Chiefs, even though unlike the National Baseball Hall of Fame, the Pro Football Hall of Fame doesn't induct players on a certain team.
• Backup quarterback Tom Flores won a Super Bowl with the Chiefs in 1969, but never started in Kansas City. Flores became head coach of the Raiders 10 years later and led the team to two Super Bowl titles.
• Former Chiefs head coach and defensive coordinator Gunther Cunningham spent four years with the Los Angeles Raiders (1991–94) as the team's defensive coordinator. He joined the Chiefs in 1995.
• Cornerback Albert Lewis and running back Harvey Williams started their careers in Kansas City but were traded to the Raiders in 1994.
• Quarterback JaMarcus Russell and wide receiver Dwayne Bowe hold many records while attending Louisiana State University. In the 2007 NFL Draft, Russell would be drafted to the Raiders (#1 overall) and Bowe would be drafted to the Chiefs (#23 overall). Also, during the following draft (2008 NFL Draft), LSU's defensive tackle Glenn Dorsey would also be drafted to the Chiefs (#5 overall). Even in 2009, LSU's defensive end Tyson Jackson would be drafted by the Chiefs in the first round.
• Defensive tackle Terdell Sands was drafted by the Chiefs in 2001. After a few seasons, Sands signed with the Raiders to become their starter on the defensive line.
• Raiders running back Bo Jackson spent most of his Major League Baseball career with the Kansas City Royals.
• In 1962, the Chiefs traded their original quarterback Cotton Davidson to the Raiders for the first overall selection in the 1963 AFL Draft, which was used by the Chiefs to select future Hall of Famer Buck Buchanan.
• Center Rodney Hudson was drafted by the Chiefs, and played there from 2011 to 2014, before signing with the Raiders in 2015.

Quotes

We knew we had to go through Oakland to win the championship, and they knew they had to go through Kansas City...that made it a very bitter rivalry.

— Hank Stram, former Texans/Chiefs head coach

Those were my favorite games...I always likened them to a heavyweight fight. You knew you were going to get beat up, but it was fun. We needed the Chiefs. We wouldn't have been as good without them.

— Ben Davidson, former Raiders defensive end.

It's something special. It's not just media hype...You can sense it with coaches and players. Then you get out into the community, and you realize what a huge game this is for both cities.

— Will Shields, former Chiefs offensive guard.

In Oakland...the games you always really wanted to come see were the Niners and the Chiefs. You grew up hating red...It goes deep. It's not just the teams. It's the organizations, you know, which organization is better? These are two teams that played in the old AFL against each other. Most of the history goes back to it. They've been AFC West rivals for a very, very long time. It's always been the must-win game.

— Kirk Morrison, former Raiders linebacker.

It's a dark game. I characterize it as a lot of darkness." When asked whether "dark" was meant as 'a good vs. evil dark'—"You can read between the lines.

— Gunther Cunningham, former Raiders defensive coordinator and former Chiefs Head coach and defensive coordinator.

Only one word: Blood.

— Harvey Williams (who was with Oakland that season after four years in Kansas City) in a 1995 NBC interview for the team's first meeting in Oakland since 1981.

See also

• AFC West
• American Football League
• National Football League rivalries

Further reading

• Matthew C. Ehrlich, Kansas City vs. Oakland: The Bitter Sports Rivalry that Defined an Era. Champaign, IL: University of Illinois Press, 2019.