Let’s bring back strong division rivalries for Chiefs, NFL

Once upon a time, players on certain teams hated each other. But not so much anymore. What would it look like for the NFL to bring back those rivalries?

How did you feel when the Las Vegas Raiders got blanked by the New Orleans Saints in Week 8? How about after they blew another 17-point lead to the Jacksonville Jaguars in Week 9?

Did you laugh? Celebrate? Say “good riddance” or something altogether different? Whatever you did or felt, it was probably because you are a Kansas City Chiefs fan, and the Raiders are the Chiefs’ archrivals.

But we didn’t really hear anything about this devastating loss from Chiefs players. They were even on a bye, so they had time to talk trash, but it was pretty much just crickets on Twitter and beyond. And that’s a bummer.

Let’s be frank: there was a time when NFL teams really hated each other. And they didn’t hide it. Rivalries developed for a reason. In the case of the Chiefs and Raiders, they were two of the original AFL teams whose owners played key roles in the merger with the NFL. The Chiefs themselves have an excellent article on this origin.

To acknowledge the other side for anything good was wrong, and to trade teams was downright traitorous.

I remember after a former Chiefs player (I can’t remember which specifically), opted to sign with the Raiders, my late father was flabbergasted. “Once upon a time,” he said, “no player would’ve signed with a division rival. They hated each other too much.”

But not anymore. Even in recent memory, Jamaal Charles went to the Broncos, and Derrick Johnson signed with the Raiders. Both seemed like deliberate attacks against the Kansas City Chiefs, the team that had made them stars.

Gone are the days of the Marty Schottenheimer crusade against the Raiders. Sure, every year ‘Raider Week’ elicits a different response among fans, but very rarely do we hear the players trash-talk each other. A few years ago Travis Kelce and Raiders’ punter Marquette King got into a weird celebration feud, but that was about it.

Even beyond the division, players are relatively quiet when it comes to trash talk. My colleague at Arrowhead Addict, Charles Robinson, brought up how a Titans player ‘trolled’ Kelce during last year’s game—that’s getting closer to what I’d like to see.

My point is this: when the Raiders were getting absolutely blasted by the Saints, wouldn’t it have been great for Patrick Mahomes or Travis Kelce or Chris Jones to just fire off a “How about them Raiders” tweet? The internet would’ve lost it. Chiefs Kingdom would love it, and Raider Nation would get upset.

And then I want to see the Raiders fire back. You know Maxx Crosby could probably get downright scary. And Derek Carr? Yeah… you’re right, Sid from Toy Story would probably just pout.

Maybe those ‘We hate each other.’ rivalry days are over. But it would certainly bring another level of entertainment to division rivalries. And the NFL is nothing without entertainment. And this clip from Catching Kelce gives me hope that Kelce will get us there one day.