5 things to know about Raiders-Chiefs rivalry

By
Las Vegas Review-Journal
Oakland Raiders quarterback Derek Carr (4) is sacked by Kansas City Chiefs defensive end Chris ...

Although the Raiders and Chiefs won’t play their first game in Las Vegas for a few more months, one could say their rivalry reached a new depth shortly after ground was broken at Allegiant Stadium.

In December 2017, a construction worker and Chiefs fan working at the site claimed to have buried a Chiefs flag where he believed the 50-yard line would be.

There was a photo on Facebook and a message: “Flag buried in dirt, encased in concrete, with a stadium built on top of it. Chiefs 1, Raiders 0. Las Vegas.”

To which a Raiders fan responded: “We’re used to being on top of the Chiefs.”

Ben Davidson and Otis Taylor would have been impressed with the hijinks and vitriol.

Five more things you should know about the Raiders-Chiefs rivalry:

1. The first meeting between the teams was Sept. 16, 1960, though it doesn’t show up in the record book as a Raiders-Chiefs game. The Chiefs, who began as the Dallas Texans in the early days of the American Football League, won 34-16 and still lead the all-time series, 67-53-2.

2. The seeds of animosity were planted during the 1970 NFL-AFL merger when Raiders patriarch and then-AFL commissioner Al Davis wanted to be the top executive of the unified league. AFL founder and Chiefs owner Lamar Hunt, who worked behind the scenes to broker the merger, thought it should be the NFL’s Pete Rozelle. Game on.

3. In the first meeting of the teams after the merger, a brawl broke out featuring Raiders defensive end Ben Davidson and Chiefs wide receiver Otis Taylor. Penalties were called that under rules of the day offset a Chiefs first-down run by quarterback Len Dawson. After Kansas City was forced to punt, George Blanda kicked a 48-yard field goal that forged a tie and ultimately gave the Raiders the AFC West championship.

4. Several star players played for both sides, none bigger than Hall of Fame running back Marcus Allen. Allen signed with the Chiefs after feuding with Davis and reportedly asked to be inducted in the Pro Football Hall of Fame as a member of the Chiefs, though the NFL doesn’t induct players by teams per the Baseball Hall of Fame.

5. The Chiefs defeated the Raiders 42-10 in 1975, during which the Chiefs’ equine mascot, Warpaint, circled the field after every touchdown. Said Raiders coach John Madden after the game: “We couldn’t beat the Chiefs, but we damn near killed their horse.”

Contact Ron Kantowski at rkantowski@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0352. Follow @ronkantowski on Twitter.

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