Perhaps more than any other division in football, the AFC West is loaded with bitter, long-standing rivalries. One of the best rivalries in that division is between the Chiefs and the Raiders. They’ve met twice every season since 1960 and have even crossed paths in the playoffs a few times. Along the way, there have been some epic games between the two. Let’s take a stroll down memory lane at some of the greatest games ever played between the Chiefs and Raiders.
Raiders 41, Chiefs 38 (1999)
With a playoff spot on the line, Kansas City jumped out to a 17-0 lead. However, despite being eliminated from playoff contention the previous week, the Raiders were happy to fight back and play the role of spoiler. The Raiders took that 17-0 deficit and turned it into a 28-24 halftime lead. Naturally, things continued to go back and forth in the second half.
Ultimately, the Raiders got a field goal from Joe Nedney with 45 seconds left to tie the game. Another field goal from Nedney in overtime gave the Raiders a 41-38 win and kept the Chiefs out of the playoffs that year.
Chiefs 27, Raiders 23 (2005)
Kansas City fans will never forget the game Trent Green played just days after his father passed away. A Randy Moss touchdown put the Raiders ahead 23-20 with 1:45 left to play. But Green rallied and drove the Chiefs down to the 1-yard line.
Rather than tying the game with a short field goal, the Chiefs handed the ball to Larry Johnson on the final play of the game. Johnson leaped over the pile and into the end zone. Fans at Arrowhead Stadium were literally in tears thinking about what Green had been through that week.
Chiefs 10, Raiders 6 (1991 AFC Wild Card Round)
This game was as ugly as it gets for a playoff game, but it was classic Chiefs-Raiders. After losing twice to the Chiefs during the regular season, the Raiders could only muster two lousy field goals against the Kansas City defense, which got a lot of help from the rowdy Arrowhead Stadium crowd.
Finally, the Raiders started to move the ball late in the game, only for Todd Marinovich to get picked off by Lonnie Marts to seal a three-game season sweep for the Chiefs.
Chiefs 17, Raiders 7 (1969 AFL Championship Game)
After the Raiders won both regular-season meetings against Kansas City, they took an early 7-0 lead in the AFL Championship Game. But it was all downhill from there for Oakland.
Both teams ended up turning it over four times while the Chiefs slowly came back to take the lead and hold on for the win. The Chiefs then beat the Vikings in Super Bowl IV.
Raiders 17, Chiefs 17 (1970)
The year after the Chiefs beat the Raiders in the AFL Championship Game, things got heated. It started late in the game when Oakland’s Ben Davidson delivered a not-so-clean hit on Kansas City quarterback Len Dawson. That led to a benches-clearing brawl between the teams. However, the penalties issued from the fight negated a Kansas City first down.
The Chiefs were forced to punt, giving the Raiders the ball back. A late field goal from Oakland made it 17-17, and after all of the fighting, the game ended in a tie.