The AFC West has only gotten more and more competitive in recent years, making life more difficult for the Las Vegas Raiders, who are desperate to get back to competing in the postseason.
The Raiders have had to watch rivals like the Kansas City Chiefs win multiple Super Bowls, adding even more pressure to right the ship sooner rather than later. Las Vegas had some optimism entering the 2022 season that they’d finally stack more wins under their belt, but unfortunately, they fell short once again. On the flip side, the Chiefs won their second Super Bowl championship on the backs of Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce.
As things are in the NFL, divisional games always mean more to the fans, and it’s no different between Las Vegas and Kansas City. While the Chiefs have gotten the best of the Raiders the past few years, it hasn’t discouraged the Silver and Black faithful from letting Kansas City players hear it on the field.
Travis Kelce actually respects Raiders fans and even said he loves them for their energy via FanDuel TV:
“I love Raiders fans, man,” Kelce said. “Every time I see you guys, we have a great time, man. I have a tremendous respect for not only the Raiders and the guys that I played that are on the Raiders, but I’ll tell you what, the fan base, you guys don’t hold back.
“Man, I love every bit of the ‘boos’ and the ‘you sucks’ during the game. That makes football and the environment that much more fun to play in, man, so nothing but love and respect for the Raiders, man. But you know it’s a war every time we play.”
It’s high praise from Kelce, who has had no problems turning those boos into fuel and motivation out on the field. Kelce has been the best tight end in the league for a while now, and his ability to run routes, catch and block has been a thorn in every team’s side, including the Raiders.
The 2023 season should be another exciting chapter for the two squads, and it’ll be fun to see Las Vegas try and one-up Kansas City when they match up.
Michael Mayer believes he can do everything offensively
While Kelce is the gold standard at tight end, the Raiders have their own prospect waiting to make a name for himself in Michael Mayer. Mayer was considered to be the best tight end in his draft class, and for good measure, as he is able to do just about everything offensively.
