I hate the Raiders. Whether they be in Oakland, or Los Angeles, or Oakland again, or Las Vegas, or heck, even if they move to Albuquerque, I hate the Raiders. It started when I was but a nine-year-old kid bawling his eyes out as they defeated my idol, Fran Tarkenton, and his Minnesota Vikings, in Super Bowl XI, 32-14.
When Joe Montana became a Kansas City Chief in 1993, Chiefs Kingdom’s Raider-hatred made my decision to roll with the Chiefs a no-brainer. Who can dislike someone who hates the Raiders? Much like holding the door for the person behind you, or using words like: thanks, please, sir, and ma’am, hating the Raiders shows the world that you are a decent person and your parents raised you right.
So, I was looking forward to our game today to defeat, again, the team I love to hate. The odds were that we’d easily beat the Las Vegas Raiders, just as we had so many times in the past few years. Odds, however, are… well odd.
View From The Cheap Seats
There’s no sugarcoating this. We got beat like redheaded stepchildren today. To add insult to injury, we got beat by (excuse me while I try to fight back the bile in my throat) the Raiders — at home!
Humility, however, demands I readily admit that the Las Vegas Raiders were the best team on the field at Arrowhead Stadium today. Raiders QB Derek Carr was better than Patrick Mahomes. The Raiders offense was better than the Chiefs defense. The Raiders defense was better than the Chiefs offense. The Raiders coaching staff was better than the Chiefs coaching staff. If the score is not enough to make you believe it, the disparity in time of possession in the second half should do it: Raiders 35:17 to Chiefs 24:43.
The lesson here? The longer you keep Patrick Mahomes on the bench is exponential to your chances of winning.
The Chiefs lost. They deserved to lose. Teams lose, the sun rises, hurricanes happen. My Dad often referred to it as: “Life happens.” Lofty as they were, our heady notions that the Chiefs might survive the 2020 season unscathed and unbeaten were but pipe dreams. Sometimes, excellent teams lose. For the Kansas City Chiefs, today was that day.
What’s important is how we react to this loss. Do we regroup, examine, and fix our issues based on lessons learned from this loss along with our close wins earlier this season? Or do we continue to gasp by on the fumes of a Super Bowl victory over eight months old? Time will tell.
Stat of the Game
Chiefs 32, Raiders 40. When you lose, that’s the only stat that matters.
Highlight of the Game
… and my hate simmers…
Tweet of the Game (x2)
But not wizard enough…
Quote of the Game
“We’ll learn from this. We have a lot of tough guys in this locker room who will be motivated by this.” – Tyrann Mathieu
Raiders vs Chiefs: Game Song – Roar
You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Already brushing off the dust
You hear my voice, you hear that sound
Like thunder, gonna shake the ground
You held me down, but I got up (hey)
Get ready ’cause I’ve had enough
I see it all, I see it now
… and the Game Ball goes to…
The Washington Football Team’s (and ex-Chief) Alex Smith. His journey is equal parts improbable, miraculous, and inspirational. Despite six sacks and a loss to the Los Angeles Rams, this man’s physical and mental toughness are the stuff that NFL coaches dream of.
How’d I Do?
My prediction fell far short of the mark. Again! I had the Chiefs beating the Raiders handily, 45-20. Like the Chiefs, I failed miserably. While it’s not much consolation, I was not alone.
In terms of score predictions, if I were a football team, I’d be the Atlanta Falcons.
Looking Ahead
I’m not sure if you believe in Karma, but after today’s loss, the NFL moving the Chiefs-Bills game from this Thursday to the next Monday at 4:00PM CDT, I sure do! We needed that! While I’m not as optimistic, some would call it cocky, after yesterday’s loss to the (sob) Raiders, Chiefs still win, 48-35.
Parting Shot
Hat’s off to the Raiders for rising to the occasion on the road against a team, on any other day, much better to them. While the loss disgusts me and causes great internal distress, I’m so glad it breathes new life into the recently lackluster rivalry. It revives my Raider-hatred. Did I mention that I not only hate the Raiders, but I love to hate the Raiders?
Michael Travis Rose — ArrowheadOne
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