If any NFL team needs a blueprint for beating the Kansas City Chiefs (9-1), they might want to call Jon Gruden and the Las Vegas Raiders (6-4).
The Raiders beat the Chiefs 40-32 at Arrowhead in Week 5, and they came oh-so-close to beating the Chiefs in Week 11, ultimately losing 35-31 thanks to a last-minute touchdown drive from Patrick Mahomes.
With the loss, the Raiders’ odds of winning the AFC West are slim to none. But if past is prologue, they could certainly beat the Chiefs in a potential rubber match in the playoffs.
“I know this sounds bizarre because moral victories, I don’t really believe in them, but for the Raiders, even in a loss, I walked away impressed,” Zach Gelb said on The Zach Gelb Show. “I did not think I was going to walk away from that game saying, ‘Man, I would love to see the third matchup of Chiefs and Raiders.’ I really thought the Chiefs were going to show you that what happened the first time these two teams met was fake and not really the team that [is] indicative of what the Chiefs are in 2020. But I left that game wanting to see this matchup for a third time.”
The Raiders, who entered Week 11 riding a three-game winning streak, led the Chiefs 17-14 at halftime and 31-28 with less than two minutes to play in the fourth quarter. Derek Carr finished 23-of-31 for 275 yards, three touchdowns and zero sacks, his lone interception coming on a desperation heave in the final seconds.
The Raiders, it is worth noting, might actually get another crack at Kansas City. If the season ended today, the No. 2 Chiefs would host the No. 7 Raiders in the first round of the playoffs.
“If we get that game Wild Card weekend, sign me up,” Gelb said. “I would absolutely love to see it for a third time. The Raiders, I don’t want to say they have the Chiefs’ number; this year, though, they showed you twice they know how to play the Kansas City Chiefs. They have. The third time they play, I would probably take Kansas City to win. That’s a game, though, that I would not walk into telling you the Chiefs are definitely going to win. I think they would win the game. I would not overlook the Raiders, though, like I did going into [Week 11].”