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Raiders' move to Las Vegas will likely increase rivalry with Chiefs

Jamaal Charles' five-touchdown performance in 2013, complete with a beer shower from angry Raiders fans, is a vibrant memory from Chiefs' visits to Oakland. Marcio Jose Sanchez/AP

KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- The Kansas City Chiefs have had a good run as the visiting team for a lot of years at the Oakland Coliseum. They've played many memorable games as the road team against the Raiders, including the final AFL championship game in January 1970, a win that propelled the Chiefs to their only Super Bowl victory. The Chiefs won 15 of the 22 games they played in Oakland after the Raiders moved back in 1995 from their hiatus to Los Angeles.

That’s all coming to an end soon now that the NFL has approved the Raiders' request to move to Las Vegas. But the Chiefs-Raiders rivalry won't be dying just because the Raiders will be on the move.

The rivalry as Kansas City-Las Vegas should provide as many great memories for fans of both teams, just like it did as Kansas City-Oakland. Both teams look like they're built for the long haul, so each should be a contender for the AFC West championship by the time the Raiders finally get around to playing in the desert, which might not be until 2020.

In fact, the Raiders' first game in Las Vegas, whether that's in 2020 or sooner, should be played against the Chiefs. It's appropriate to get the newest chapter of this rivalry started as soon as possible.

That way, we can get immediately to a rivalry that in Oakland included games where:

  • Elvis Grbac's touchdown pass to Andre Rison in the final seconds gave the Chiefs a victory (1997).

  • Jerome Woods tackled Tim Brown on the 1-yard line on the final play to preserve a Chiefs win (2003).

  • Brandon Flowers famously and fearlessly flexed in front of the Black Hole after returning an interception for a touchdown (2011).

  • Jamaal Charles had beer dumped on him at the same end of the stadium after scoring one of his five touchdowns (2013).

  • The Chiefs intercepted Derek Carr three times in the fourth quarter to spark a comeback victory (2015).

Those plays in Oakland weren't seen by many Chiefs fans except on TV. The intimidating reputation of Raiders fans kept the Chiefs followers to a minimum in Oakland over the years.

That probably won't be a problem in the Raiders' shiny new digs in Las Vegas, which should be a greater draw to Chiefs fans than the Oakland Coliseum.

Either way, the odds are good that once the Raiders move to Las Vegas, the memories for the Chiefs and their fans will continue.