‘It’s Raider week’ — Trent McDuffie explains why Chiefs are disregarding Las Vegas’ record on the season so far
You never know what could happen when the Chiefs and Raiders play each other.
After defeating the powerhouse Detroit Lions last week, many are expecting the Kansas City Chiefs to roll the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday.
The Chiefs’ defense has been solid throughout most of the season, and their offense has been one of the hottest units in the NFL over the past three weeks. It appears that Kansas City is re-establishing itself as one of the elite teams in the league. However, All-Pro cornerback Trent McDuffie told the media on Friday that the team isn’t getting comfortable.
Chiefs aren’t taking the 2-4 Raiders lightly
“It’s Raider week,” McDuffie said. “No matter who’s playing on that field, they’re going to play four quarters. I have a big deal respect for them and how they’re coached, and how they play this game.
“We’ve seen around the league, you can’t really sleep on anybody, no matter what the record is, no matter who you’re playing. Teams come ready to play. We’re in the NFL, so we can’t look over anybody, and got to bring our A-game.”
After losing four consecutive games, Las Vegas got back into the win column with a 20-10 victory over the Tennessee Titans last week. That may not seem like a very impressive win, but momentum is a huge deal in the NFL.
Another factor that must be considered is that divisional games are typically unpredictable. Kansas City beat the Raiders by just one possession in each of their matchups last season, and Las Vegas upset the Chiefs at home on Christmas Day in 2023.
No matter how talented the Chiefs are, they sometimes have a tendency to beat themselves, as we saw during their loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars two weeks ago. K.C. is clearly more talented than the Raiders, but must expect them to play hard. Teams often give the Chiefs their best shot as they want to measure themselves against the league’s best team of the past decade.