The Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have one of the most historic rivalries in football, but it has been pretty lopsided in the 21st century. The Chiefs are 34-18 against the Raiders since the year 2000.
Heading into Week 4, both teams are 3-0 and looking very promising. However, the Chiefs have proven to be a real contender over the years, while not many people are truly buying what the Raiders are doing this season.
A win over the Chiefs would quiet a lot of naysayers. The Raiders are well aware of what’s at stake. Even players who are new to the franchise understand the importance of this rivalry.
Defensive end Kwity Paye is about to experience his first Raiders-Chiefs game, and the hatred between the two franchises is palpable.
“This is my first time being here living in this moment, and you just feel the intensity. We just hate the Chiefs. You can feel it in the city, you can feel it with the fans,” Paye told reporters.
The Raiders did beat the Chiefs in their most recent matchup, but that was at the end of last season, and quarterback Patrick Mahomes didn’t play. With a win, the Raiders would take the top seed in the AFC West.
Raiders DE Kwity Paye on facing Patrick Mahomes & the Chiefs this Sunday.
🎥: By @Sean_Zittel
Maxx Crosby Not Mad About Limited Snaps
One player who always has the Chiefs games circled on his calendar is defensive end Maxx Crosby. He’s been playing some good football this season, but hasn’t gotten a sack in back-to-back games.
He would be over the moon to get another sack on Mahomes. However, he won’t get as many chances to. In the past, Crosby would play almost every single one of the Raiders’ snaps on defense. This year, the Raiders have been limiting him a bit more. For his part, he’s not mad about it.
“It’s been great, you know what I mean?” Crosby told Raiders.com. “It’s part of it. I’ve been able to play a lot of snaps and it’s because of the work. … I never was told to come off the field. I’ve always wanted to play and if I could play, I can play.
“But, I’m in my eighth season now and I have a lot of football left in my life and [the coaches], they’re doing a great job. We’ve had a plan and we’re executing it and I feel great and [we’re] getting other guys some more reps as well. And then at the end of the game, that’s all I’ve wanted and worked for my whole career – being in situations where I close out games. I’ve been able to do that a couple times and [I] look forward to continue doing that.”
Raiders Just Want to Win
Nobody is going to discount Crosby’s competitive drive. If it were up to him, he’d play every snap. However, he’s been hurt at the end of each of the last two seasons.
According to head coach Klint Kubiak, the decision to limit Corsby’s snaps is simply about winning.
“He knows it has winning with the end goal, winning the long game of being available for the whole season,” Kubiak said. “And Maxx is about winning, so he understands that.”
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