Andy Reid’s Chiefs don’t lose often, but when they do, he doesn’t appreciate gloating from the victors.
The Las Vegas Raiders scored an upset win over the Chiefs in Week 5 by a final score of 40-32, and as they departed for the local airport, the Raiders’ team buses circled Arrowhead Stadium before exiting and entering the nearby highway. Reid was asked about the departing lap of triumph Monday and was short with his answer.
“They won the game, so they can do anything they want to do,” Reid said, via ESPN. “That’s not our style.”
When asked if it’s difficult to play a team a second time after defeating it the first time, Reid dismissed such a thought, before wondering aloud if Las Vegas believed such a notion, and took in the victory while it had the chance. Meanwhile, Raiders coach Jon Gruden refuted the idea of an outright victory lap having taken place following his team’s win, instead pointing to a purported interaction with a bus driver that may have led to the extra distance traveled by Las Vegas’ convoy of buses.
“Not really. I mean, you can find a smart-aleck bus driver in Kansas City who made some snide comments when we got on the bus,” Gruden said. “Maybe that’s why we drove around the stadium, to tick him off. You know, this is ridiculous. Next question.”
Kansas City travels to Las Vegas for the first-ever meeting between the teams in the Raiders’ new home in the desert this weekend in a contest that will be played in front of a national audience. Viewers across the U.S. can expect a game played between two teams who aren’t too fond of each other.
The Raiders-Chiefs rivalry stretches back to their pre-merger days in the American Football League. With the Chiefs sitting atop the NFL’s throne as reigning champions and the Raiders in playoff contention, Las Vegas is looking coming for the king and doesn’t aim to miss. Kansas City, of course, doesn’t intend to surrender any of its hard-earned territory.
“It’s two good football teams playing each other,” Reid said. “I don’t think either team likes the other that much, as they’ve stated before.”
If the AFC West-leading Chiefs end up securing a season split with the Raiders, they’ll have a chance to take their own victory lap around the brand-new Allegiant Stadium. But as Reid said, they likely won’t do so. His style is more Hawaiian than arrogant.
