The Chiefs clearly remember what happened the last time the Raiders visited Arrowhead Stadium during the holiday season.
It was Christmas Day last year when interim coach Antonio Pierce and quarterback Aidan O’Connell led the Raiders to a surprising 20-14 victory over the defending Super Bowl champions. Their defense contributed two touchdowns, helping secure the upset.
The Chiefs are still reminded of that loss, and it’s giving them added motivation as their longtime AFC West rivals come to town for a rare post-Thanksgiving game. The Chiefs are aiming for a decisive win this time, hoping to avoid another close game and instead secure a blowout to help boost their push for the top spot in the AFC playoffs.
“Wins are hard to come by in this league,” said Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones, who has gone without a sack for seven consecutive games. “I think as a team, we feel like there are still a lot of areas we can improve.”
It helps that the Chiefs (10-1) are starting to get healthier at the right time.
Running back Isiah Pacheco, who has been recovering from an ankle injury and surgery after the Week 2 game against Cincinnati, might return this week. Defensive end Charles Omenihu, who has been out since tearing his right ACL in the playoffs, could also rejoin the defense to help with the pass rush, which has struggled to reach the quarterback.
“We’re getting healthier as an offense,” said quarterback Patrick Mahomes. “We’re just getting more reps with guys, and as the season goes on you see what guys are best at. Now it’s about building and continuing to build the rest of the season.”
The Raiders (2-9) are still working on building their team.
O’Connell will return as the starting quarterback after breaking his right thumb on Oct. 20. He replaces Gardner Minshew, who suffered a collarbone injury in last week’s loss to the Broncos.
“It’s challenging for our team right now with losing seven straight games,” said Pierce. “But the opportunities are there. The want-to and desire — one thing about these guys is they love one another. They love the game. They’re passionate about it. I think hopefully it shows up on film, the effort that they play with.
The physicality’s picked up over the last couple of weeks. They have done a good job of buying in. These younger guys understand this is their opportunity, right?”
Just like it was when the Raiders beat the Chiefs last Christmas.
