KANSAS CITY, Mo. -- In 2014, the game looked as if it would be a lopsided one when the 7-3 Kansas City Chiefs faced the 0-10 Raiders in Oakland. Things appeared much the same way last season when the 5-1 Chiefs went to the West Coast to face the 2-4 Raiders.
The Chiefs lost both times, which makes their game on Sunday in Oakland look like a big, yawning trap despite the teams' respective records. The Chiefs are 9-2 coming off their bye week; the Raiders are 2-9.
The two Chiefs' defeats in Oakland under coach Andy Reid happened in Thursday night games. This time, the Chiefs won't have the disadvantage of traveling during a short week. The Chiefs haven't played since a Nov. 19 loss at the Los Angeles Rams on Monday Night Football in Week 11.
Still, the Chiefs have lost only four of their past 23 games against divisional opponents. Two have come against the lowly Raiders in Oakland.
"These AFC West opponents, they're tough venues to play at," said Reid, who is 3-2 against the Raiders in Oakland and 5-0 at Arrowhead Stadium. "The main thing is you've got to get yourself prepared when you go in there to play a good football team. ... They played well against us."
Other than the Chiefs' occasional trouble in Oakland in recent years, the Raiders game seems to be coming at a good time. The Chiefs, who had their four-game winning streak snapped against the Rams, still have the best record in the AFC; but four other conference teams have three losses, so Kansas City's lead for home-field playoff advantage and the AFC West crown are thin.
Oakland could provide the Chiefs a place to begin a new winning streak. The Raiders are in the bottom 10 in scoring and total offense and scoring and total defense.
This is the Chiefs' first game against the Raiders since Jon Gruden returned as their head coach. The Chiefs went 3-5 against Gruden in his first stint with the Raiders from 1998 through 2001, and Gruden won each of the last five meetings.
The Chiefs also were 0-2 against Gruden when he coached the Tampa Bay Buccaneers from 2002 through 2008.
Reid, who is a longtime friend of Gruden's, was 1-4 against Gruden when Reid coached the Philadelphia Eagles, including 0-1 when Gruden previously coached the Raiders.
"Jon has obviously, on both sides of the ball, put his influence on things," Reid said. "He's demanding people play the way he wants them to play, the things he expects. That's the way he's going about his business right now. That's what you're seeing. You're seeing guys play hard for him and [aggressively].
"He's doing it his way. ... There's not going to be a change overnight. It's going to be something that takes a little time. He understands that, but he's trying to build that where it lasts and lasts for a long time."