While the Kansas City Chiefs have won their last six meetings with the Las Vegas Raiders, some of the matchups have been closer than the three-plus years of dominance suggests.
In two out of their last three outings against the Chiefs, the Raiders had led by at least 14 points early in the contest.
Of course, most recently, it happened in their 31-17 loss to Kansas City at Allegiant Stadium back in Week 12 when Las Vegas held a 14-0 lead up until around the 6:30 mark in the second quarter. In fact, the Raiders could have gone up 17-0 had it not been for a rare missed field goal from All-Pro kicker Daniel Carlson.
The Raiders' two touchdowns came at the end of two of their first three drives of the game. But after the Chiefs got on the board in the second quarter, it was all down hill from there. Las Vegas would not find the end zone again for the rest of the contest.
The game had resemblances of the Raiders' 30-29 loss to the Chiefs the year before when Las Vegas exploded for a 17-0 advantage.
It was a Monday night game, and the Raiders were riding the momentum of their first win of the season, a 32-23 victory over the Denver Broncos the week before.
After their 17-0 start, the Raiders would head into the locker room at halftime still up, 20-10. Kansas City, however, went on to take the lead by the end of the third quarter.
A 47-yard made field goal from Carlson would trim the deficit back to just one point, but one more touchdown and a failed two-point conversion from the Chiefs would put them back up by seven points with just under seven and a half minutes remaining in regulation.
The Raiders answered with a touchdown of their own, but they, too, would fail on their two-point conversion, leaving them still down by a single point.
Las Vegas had a chance on the final drive to try to at least get into field goal range and win the contest, but a lack of execution and miscommunication resulted in the one-point loss at Arrowhead.
There's no question that Kansas City has been the Raiders' most formidable opponent over the last few seasons. When they get the rare opportunity to go up by double-digits early, they can ill afford to let their foot off the gas and allow the Chiefs to get back into the contest.
Regardless of if the Raiders do get off to an early lead or not on Christmas Day, to steal this crucial game at Arrowhead, Las Vegas must play a full four quarters of competitive football.
The Silver and Black will return to action versus their AFC West rivals, the Kansas City Chiefs, on Christmas Day at Arrowhead Stadium in Kansas City. Don't miss it on Monday, December 25, at 1 p.m. EST/10 a.m. PST.
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