With AFC West showdown looming, some Chiefs players have kept an eye on the Raiders
As the Kansas City Chiefs celebrated in the locker room following Week 11’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers in Mexico City, they had plenty to look forward to.
The Chiefs sit atop the AFC West with a 7-4 record and most players embraced the well-deserved time off.
Other players, though, were keenly aware of what awaits them after the bye: a showdown with the Oakland Raiders (6-5) at Arrowhead Stadium.
In a sport where week-by-week or game-by-game is the rallying cry, it turns out some had been paying close attention to the Raiders’ winning ways over the past month.
“Man, of course we have,” Chiefs linebacker Reggie Ragland said.
Ragland has a reason to monitor the Raiders. He maintains a close relationship with former Alabama and current Oakland running back Josh Jacobs, a rookie Ragland calls his “little brother.”
But the Chiefs linebacker knows there a lot more to the Raiders than just Jacobs.
“They’ve put together some good wins, but we’ve got to keep fighting when they come to Arrowhead,” Ragland said. “We’ve just got to be tough on them as a defense, keep fighting, and we’ve got guys ready to play.”
Chiefs cornerback Charvarious Ward agreed.
“We’re in the same division, so we know them pretty well already,” Ward said. “I mean, we have them in the back of our head the whole time, but hopefully we can take them when the time comes.”
Week 13’s game provides plenty of intrigue between the two storied franchises. The NFL apparently agrees, having flexed it from a noon slot to a 3:25 p.m. kickoff.
The Raiders had won three straight games until Sunday. They blew an opportunity to pull even with the Chiefs at 7-4 in an embarrassing 34-3 loss to the New York Jets.
Kansas City defeated the Raiders in Week 2 and now has an opportunity to sweep Oakland for the second consecutive season. The Chiefs have dominated the Raiders since coach Andy Reid arrived in 2013, going 11-3 over that span.
Of the Chiefs’ final five regular-season games, three are within the division, against the Raiders, Denver Broncos in Week 15 and Chargers in both teams’ season finale. All three games will be at Arrowhead Stadium.
Kansas City can effectively put a stranglehold on the division with a win this weekend. A victory Sunday would open a two-game lead over the Raiders and set the table for the Chiefs to potentially secure a fourth consecutive AFC West title.
The Chiefs would also own the tie-breaker with a sweep of Oakland. All they need to do is take care of business at home.
“It’s going to be fun,” Ragland said. “Family will be in town. My grandma is a Raiders fan, so it’s all good.”
Chiefs center Austin Reiter said motivation is easy to come by this time of year, especially against a division opponent like Oakland.
“AFC West, man,” he said. “We’re getting down to the end of the season where this is huge for playoff contention. We want to win the AFC West.”
This story was originally published November 25, 2019 at 5:00 AM.
