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For the first time since Andy Reid arrived in 2013, the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders was — at least for one week — rejuvenated last season after Jon Gruden’s club pulled out a 40-32 win at Arrowhead Stadium in Week 5 to hand the Chiefs their first loss.
After playing the Chiefs close into the final minute of the teams’ second meeting in Week 11, the Raiders even earned some kudos from Reid and All-Pro tight end Travis Kelce, the latter admitting, “This is the best Raiders team I’ve played since I’ve been in the league.”
A former All-Pro teammate of Kelce, Mitchell Schwartz, who was on the field for the Week 5 loss before a back injury the following week sidelined him for the remainder of the season, struck a different tone when asked about the Raiders in a recent interview.
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Raiders Fans ‘Are the Least Respectful When We Go There’
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GettyChiefs OT Mitchell Schwartz never returned to the field after exiting with a back injury in Week 6 last season.
During an appearance on KCSP 610 Sports Radio on Wednesday, May 19, the former Chiefs stalwart right tackle was called upon to answer a fan question asking which AFC West rival team he “dislikes the most.”
To Chiefs Kingdom, his response probably wasn’t much of a surprise, but Schwartz had some fun at the expense of black and silver supporters.
“The Raiders. It just seems the most contentious. Their fans are the least respectful when we go there,” Schwartz told The Drive host Carrington Harrison with a chuckle. “They have a little bit more history than the other two as well, so I think they still think of themselves as the glory days and being what they were.
“They were really happy with themselves after they beat us the first time and I didn’t hear much from them the rest of the year.”
Schwartz Unimpressed by Modern-Day ‘Black Hole’
In a follow-up question from Harrison, Schwartz took another dig at Raider Nation, suggesting that their infamous “Black Hole” mantra might be a bit overblown as the Raiders enter their second season playing in the newly built $2.02 billion Allegiant Stadium off the Las Vegas strip.
“I don’t think the Black Hole is what it used to be,” Schwartz elaborated. “It got built up, especially being in Los Angeles and knowing about the Raiders. The first time I went there, I just wasn’t that impressed with it like you see in NFL Films.”
You can listen to Schwartz’s entire interview beginning at the 16:00 mark here. After undergoing surgery to repair a disk in his injured back in February, the soon-to-be 32-year-old was released by the Chiefs, along with left tackle Eric Fisher, on March 11 in a pair of salary cap-saving moves.
Schwartz, who told The Drive on April 29 that he “would obviously entertain coming back here” to Kansas City once healthy, has been linked by an anonymous NFL offensive line coach to another AFC West rival in search of a quality right tackle, the Denver Broncos.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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