LAS VEGAS (AP) — The Chiefs made themselves at home when they were in Las Vegas in February for the Super Bowl.
They practiced at the Raiders’ facility and used their locker room at Allegiant Stadium. Marquez Valdes-Scantling planted a Chiefs flag in the field after Kansas City won its second consecutive championship and third in five years.
It was a nightmare for all those who bleed silver and black, but worse for them is how at home the Chiefs have felt when they’ve played the Raiders in Las Vegas. Kansas City (6-0) hopes to improve on its 4-0 record against the Raiders (2-5) at Allegiant when the teams meet Sunday.
Oddsmakers don’t anticipate that being a problem. BetMGM Sportsbook made the Chiefs 9 1/2-point favorites, though the Raiders were the last team to beat Kansas City, winning there 20-14 last Christmas Day.
“They came in and got after us,” Chiefs coach Andy Reid said. “That’s their personality and so we didn’t handle that the right way, but I thought we learned from it and got better for it, which was the important thing after something like that.”
All the Chiefs did after the loss was start a 12-game winning streak that included their Super Bowl title in Las Vegas and is ongoing.
But there was some poking the bear at Raiders training camp in August when a fan threw a Kermit the Frog doll in a Patrick Mahomes jersey onto the field. Rookie safety Trey Taylor was seen on video playing with the doll and laughing.
“It’ll get handled when it gets handled,” Mahomes said at the time.
But he didn’t make much of an issue about it this week.
“I think just knowing that the competitive spirit that they have on that side is going to match the competitive spirit that we have,” Mahomes said.
The Raiders enter this game on a three-game skid, and that’s what has their attention more than anything that happened last season or in training camp.
“We’ve got to turn that around,” Raiders cornerback Jakorian Bennett said. “That’s our motivation.”
The last time the Chiefs played at Allegiant Stadium, they celebrated amid falling confetti, with Valdes-Scantling (who’s now with New Orleans) forcefully planting the flag into the NFL logo.
That’s been part of the story leading up to this game ever since.
Las Vegas star pass rusher Maxx Crosby even was asked about it in April.
“Nobody’s planting a flag on our Raiders logo,” Crosby said at the time. “I promise you that.”
New QB in the building
Raiders quarterback Aidan O’Connell reclaimed his starting job last week, only to break the thumb on his throwing hand in Sunday’s 20-15 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
That injury put Gardner Minshew back behind center, but he did little to prove he could secure the position with three interceptions and a lost fumble that was returned for a touchdown.
“I’m ready to get back out there,” Minshew said. “Give me another chance. Wish I had another chance Sunday. I feel like that’s always how you feel. If you can get out there one more time, you’ll figure it out and make it right, and I’m excited to have that opportunity this week.”
The Raiders signed Desmond Ridder this week off the Arizona Cardinals’ practice squad, and he could get an opportunity to play if Minshew gets off to a slow start.
Ridder became emotional when talking about telling his daughter he was heading to Las Vegas.
“I do everything for my family,” said Ridder, the Atlanta Falcons’ third-round draft pick in 2022. “So this is just another opportunity to go out and prove to them and prove to myself — prove to everyone — that I can be out here and do this.”
D-Hop hopes
The Chiefs traded a conditional fifth-round pick to the Titans this week to land DeAndre Hopkins, a former All-Pro wide receiver whom they hope can help them overcome a rash of injuries at the position. The big question is whether the trade, which was largely agreed upon Wednesday, gives the 32-year-old Hopkins enough time to pick up a handful of plays so that he could play on Sunday. He also has been dealing with a knee injury this season.
Catching up to Hunt
The Chiefs didn’t exactly know what they were getting when they signed Kareem Hunt to replace Isiah Pacheco, who was lost to a broken fibula. But the former Browns running back arrived in excellent shape, and Reid has had no problem giving him a steady dose of carries. Hunt ran 27 times against New Orleans and 22 last week against San Francisco.
Getting defensive
The Chiefs are allowing 17.2 points per game, fifth-best in the NFL, despite facing some of the league’s best offenses. They have yet to allow anyone to score more than 25 points, and they have allowed fewer than 20 in each of the last four games. That includes their 28-18 win over the 49ers last Sunday.
___
AP Sports Writer Dave Skretta in Kansas City, Missouri, contributed to this report.
___
AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/nfl
Copyright © 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, written or redistributed.
