Raiders hope to revive rivalry with Chiefs

KANSAS CITY, Mo. — It’s well-known that the Raiders have lost 10 of their 11 matchups against Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs.

And that Mahomes has thrown 29 touchdowns in those game, his most against any opponent. He’s helped Kansas City score 28 points or more in all 11 contests.

But it gets even worse for the Raiders. The Chiefs have won 18 of their last 21 meetings with their old American Football League foes dating back to 2013.

That’s dominance by any measure. And one reason why Raiders offensive tackle Jermaine Eluemunor can barely use the word “rivalry” to describe the matchup.

“It hasn’t really been a rivalry the last few years because they’ve whupped us,” Eluemunor said.

The Raiders (6-8) want to do something about that. They want to hold up their end of the bargain in a clash that dates all the way back to 1960.

That begins Christmas Day when the Raiders try to preserve their playoff hopes against Kansas City (9-5) at 10 a.m. Monday at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium.

The Chiefs’ recent dominance contradicts the true essence of this clash. The two teams have met 129 times. Kansas City owns a 73-54 edge with two ties.

Take away the last 11 years and it’s an even fight, however.

The Raiders want to get back to that.

“We’re hoping to make it a rivalry again because I feel like it was one of the biggest rivalries in the NFL back in the day,” Eluemunor said.

Eluemunor likes to take trips down memory lane by watching old highlight films of Chiefs-Raiders games. He watches the battles at the point of attack in particular. He can see Raiders Hall of Famers like Art Shell and Gene Upshaw battling their Chiefs counterparts such as Buck Buchanan and Willie Lanier.

“When they went against each other, they would just throw blows and just get in there trying to kill each other,” Eluemunor said. “You watch that tape, and you think about it now, and you want to get back to that. We want to get back to being a physical team and going in there and hitting them in the mouth. And know that they’re probably going to hit you back, and it’s a friggin’ 12-round brawl. You may take some body blows some of the time and some jabs to the face, but at the end of the fight, you’re gonna be standing victorious.”

Eluemunor’s enthusiasm for the topic was obvious. His eyes lit up as he described what a Raiders-Chiefs showdown could be.

“That’s what we’re thinking right now. It’s a 12-round fight.” Eluemunor said. “It’s four quarters, we gotta keep going to the body, the body, then bang, they’re going to open their face up and that’s when you take big shots. That’s what we want to get back to. That old-school mentality.”

The Raiders have proven they can trade punches with the Chiefs. They may even win a few early rounds.

The Raiders were up 17-0 on Kansas City last season on Oct. 10, 2022, but lost 30-29. They led 14-0 when the two teams met earlier this year at Allegiant Stadium on Nov. 26 before falling 31-17.

The issue is the Chiefs are built to go the full 12 rounds. The Raiders tend to lose their juice at some point. Kansas City also has been able to throw painful punches at critical junctures.

Mahomes executed a flawless three-minute drill at the end of the first half in the first meeting between the two teams this season. That tied the game 14-14 with 25 seconds left in the second quarter. Kansas City received the opening kickoff in the second half and put together a 10-play touchdown drive that put them ahead for good.

Just like that, the Chiefs stole the Raiders’ souls.

“They are one of the best teams at the end of the second quarter. And it’s happened to us in three games now that they’ve found a way to get the ball and then no matter if it’s 10 seconds, 30 seconds, two minutes, three minutes; they’re going to score,” Raiders interim coach Antonio Pierce said. “And that’s our job as coaches to play with these guys and have calls to put us in position to not to allow that to happen. And then when we’re in that position, to make the plays.”

The Chiefs have also been masters at closing the Raiders out late. They added 10 more points after their go-ahead score earlier this year to never let their opponent off the mat.

It’s on the Raiders to do something about it. They have to come through in the critical moments the Chiefs have mastered.

The Raiders’ season depends on it.

“Coaches and players working together, players executing whatever is called and coaches making sure we continue to have that aggressive mindset,” Raiders receiver Davante Adams said. “Which ultimately makes — I mean that’s what typically puts us in that spot to where we have that lead. So whatever it was that got us there, we’ve got to stay with that and find a way to keep doing what we’ve got to do as players to keep moving the ball and making it happen.”

Contact Vincent Bonsignore at vbonsignore@reviewjournal.com. Follow @VinnyBonsignore on X.