Dominate the Super Bowl

In the AFC West, we have the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, Oakland Raiders, and Denver Broncos.

Without a doubt, all four teams are archrivals within the division; among them, the rivalry between the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders stands out. They are not just the most renowned opponents in the AFC West but also the most entangled, sharp, and unresolved archenemies of the Super Bowl era in the NFL.

Since the inception of the NFL, the Kansas City Chiefs and Oakland Raiders have been in the same division, and even with the numerous realignments throughout history, the two teams have always maintained a close yet complex relationship; however, up until 1967, the enmity between them wasn't as intense.

That year, the MLB team Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland, becoming the Oakland Athletics, leaving Kansas City without a professional baseball team. It was not until the establishment of the Kansas City Royals two years later that this void was filled. This move caused an underlying rivalry to develop between the two cities.

It was during this time, in the 1968 season, that the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders both finished the regular season with twelve wins and two losses. They met in the playoffs, where the victor would advance to the AFC Championship, and the Raiders swept the Chiefs "41 to 6", kicking off an intense rivalry.

As time went on, the animosity between the teams continued to escalate.

In the 1970 season, the clashes between the two teams escalated to physical confrontations. Oakland Raiders Defensive End Ben Davidson kneed Chiefs quarterback Len Dawson in the helmet after Dawson had secured a first down by running the ball, which led to a brawl between the teams.

Moreover, under the rules of the game back then, the Chiefs' first down was annulled, which turned a victory within their grasp into a tie, ultimately costing them their entire season. The Raiders, stepping on the shoulders of the Chiefs, advanced to the playoffs.

This game prompted the League to change the rules: even though Davidson's foul came first, and despite the fact that a Chiefs' player threw the first punch leading to a penalty flag, at least the Chiefs' first down should not have been annulled.

In the 1975 season, the Kansas City Chiefs defeated the Oakland Raiders "42 to 10". After every touchdown, the Chiefs' mascot would run a lap around the field in celebration, which led to the Raiders' head coach losing his composure and attacking the mascot after the game, and he even refused to apologize at the post-game press conference. Experience tales at My Virtual Library Empire

In the 1999 season, former Chiefs quarterback Rick Gannon led the Raiders to a last-second victory at Arrowhead Stadium, knocking the Chiefs out of the playoffs.

Of course, in the long wait of history, these are just the tip of the iceberg—

In the 2007 season, the Kansas City Chiefs ended a nine-game winning streak by the Oakland Raiders; in the 2014 season, the Raiders defeated the Chiefs, snapping their own sixteen-game losing streak.

Neither side would back down in their bitter exchanges.

The battles between the two teams are always fiery and intense. The most amazing and unbelievable thing is:

When they face off against each other, their whole demeanor and state of play are different. Even if they are in a slump, they can still explode with an incredible energy and pull their archenemies down from the peak.

Moreover, they always seem to particularly enjoy the thrill of devastating their opponents on the road. The Kansas City Chiefs once had a seven-game winning streak away, and the Oakland Raiders had six consecutive road victories.

This year is no exception.

Even if the Oakland Raiders are mired in difficulties, they get especially fired up when facing the Kansas City Chiefs. Quarterback Carl and Wide Receiver Amari Cooper both entered the "Super Saiyan" state and put on their best performance of the season, sweeping away the gloom and ending the Chiefs' six-game winning start to the season.

The Kansas City Chiefs' pain is the Oakland Raiders' joy.

It's as simple as that.

After their matchup in the seventh week of the regular season, over the following five games, the Kansas City Chiefs fell into a five-game losing streak, while the Oakland Raiders strongly rebounded with three wins and two losses.

Looking at the recent form, the Raiders seem to be the team in better shape. This week, they are set to visit Arrowhead Stadium, and unlike other teams that often struggle on the road, everyone on the Raiders team is pumped up, eagerly preparing to cause a stir in Kansas City.

For the Kansas City Chiefs, it's a matter of survival—

Literally.

This game was not just about revenge; it also decided the playoff trends in the AFC West for the season.

Currently, three teams in the AFC West—the Los Angeles Chargers, the Kansas City Chiefs, and the Oakland Raiders—each boasted a record of six wins and six losses. Except for the Denver Broncos, who lagged behind with three wins and nine losses, all of them were eligible to contend for the division championship and thus qualify for the playoffs.

A single victory meant more than just the difference between heaven and hell; it could even lead a team to completely turn its season around. The winner would be left with seven wins and six losses, keeping playoff hopes alive, while the loser, with six wins and seven losses, could likely see their season end prematurely.

The pressure had climbed to an unprecedented height, especially for the Kansas City Chiefs.

Imagine, the Kansas City Chiefs triggered countless controversies with their aggressive draft strategies at this year's draft. Debates revolved around them; and if they were to not only miss victories in the playoffs but even fail to qualify? All their decisions would become a complete laughing stock.

At the same time, the scrutiny on Li Wei might also change—

Indeed, Li Wei's statistics remained outstanding, and his abilities superior, but don't forget, Li Wei was a running back, the kind who doesn't get the credit but never misses out on shouldering the blame.

If it were the quarterback, lineman, defensive end, wide receiver, and so on, people would still praise them even if the team performed poorly; but what about the running back?

"Floundering for so long, yet still unable to help the team win."

"Since the result is the same, unable to be the key to changing the game, what's the difference between the first and seventh round?"

"It's better to choose a cost-effective running back and invest the salary cap space in a wide receiver."

And so on and so forth.

Because in people's conventional beliefs, any other position could be the key to changing the game, but not the running back. That's why teams shouldn't invest too much in running backs. Just look at Peterson, Tomlinson, Bell, and so on—all these top running backs couldn't help their teams win the Super Bowl.

Most directly, Marshawn Lynch, even at the crucial final moment of the Super Bowl earlier that year, Carroll still refused to hand over the ball to the running back.

This was reality.

If the Kansas City Chiefs really missed the playoffs, Li Wei would probably become the fall guy.

All these factors piled on top of each other, and what was already a highly charged rivalry game within the division had now escalated to a whole new level—

It was ready to explode.

Now, before the game even started, these arch-enemies were already eagerly squabbling off the field.

All this stemmed from wide receiver Cooper.

This junior wide receiver, who played a key role in the last game that defeated the Kansas City Chiefs, clearly enjoyed the spotlight after that game and was already itching to go.

"The secondary defense of Kansas is just all talk and no action, surrendering early. They really shouldn't spend too much time practicing under the cheerleaders' skirts; their legs are already trembling before they even hit the field."