Raiders have a hand in division rival Chiefs making it to their fourth Super Bowl in five years

The Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs have a rivalry dating back 60 years, as the first meeting was in 1960. The two franchises do not like one another and would never help the other under any circumstances that involve football. However, the Raiders did help the Chiefs back on Christmas Day, and it wasn't really their fault.

When December 25 rolled around, the discussion revolved around whether interim head coach Antonio Pierce could be the Chiefs. The notion was that if he did, he would retain his job for the 2024 season, considering what he had done the week before - scoring 63 points on the Los Angeles Chargers.

The Raiders ended up beating the Chiefs on Christmas 20-14. They somehow managed to win without completing a single pass after the first quarter. Ultimately, the win ended up being the deciding factor for Pierce getting the job in 2024. So, the win was necessary, and why wouldn't you want to beat your rival?

That win, though, helped the Chiefs get where they are now.

"We talked about this as a staff after that game," Chiefs GM Brett Veach told reporters on Sunday. "It's what you do with adversity and how you handle it. And I actually think that a big reason that we're here tonight is because of that Vegas game. Sometimes, the worst things that happen to you in your season turn out to be the best thing. 

"We were finding ways to win games, but something was off, whether it be offense or defense or special teams; it just wasn't in sync. But we were winning, and sometimes, I think that was just deodorant, and you keep going and going and going. That loss really hit us, and I think it allowed the whole organization to take a look in the mirror. So, I really point to that game as being one of the key motivating factors to get everyone dialed in here."

The Chiefs used that loss to the Raiders as fuel to their fire because, let's be honest, they should not have lost to the Raiders. Now, the Chiefs have stepped their game up and have beaten the Miami Dolphins in the wild-card round, the Buffalo Bills in the divisional round, and the Baltimore Ravens in the AFC Championship, just to play and practice in the Raiders facilities in the Super Bowl. Looking back, that hurts the Raiders now.

However, every Raiders fan will tell you it felt too good in the moment. You just hope it's not your divisional rival lifting the trophy in Allegiant Stadium on February 11.