Chiefs – Raiders / Biggest rivalry in NFL history

There is a big debate among NFL football fans about what is the biggest rivalry in the NFL league, well, I have to say that there are different types of rivalries, some are more friendly than others, but the one between the Raiders and the Chiefs is for me the most bitter of them all.

Surprisingly, the rivalry started due to a different sport, baseball, as the Kansas City Athletics moved to Oakland, and when the Kansas City Royals were formed and were moved to the same division to the A’s, the distaste from Kansas fans was felt all across the city. So when the time came for the Raiders to play against the Chiefs in Kansas, all the frustration was put upon pro football and the rivalry began.

So when we talk statistics, both teams are pretty much tied, with a small advantage for the Chiefs, as Kansas City has 50 regular season wins over 42 Oakland wins, and they have tied just twice, and on the post season Kansas leads the records with 2 wins over 1 from the Raiders.

The rivalry has increased with some connections between the two teams, as when QB Rick Gannon switched teams from Chiefs to Raiders to win the 1999 NFL MVP award with Oakland, and with backup quarterback Tom Flores, who won a Super Bowl championship with Kansas City, but never started for the Chiefs, and 10 years later, Flores was named head coach of the Raiders and leaded Oakland to 2 Super Bowl titles.

All in all, the Chiefs have been superior to the Raiders, but I have to say that I am fonder of Oakland, though I think the Chiefs will have a better record this coming 08-09 NFL season with Kansas expected to finish 7-9 and the Raiders 6-10.