Silver And Black Pride
Chiefs going to the dance once more as conference rep and widening gap in the West
The Las Vegas Raiders know who they’re chasing.
Hell, the entire AFC — and perhaps the league as a whole — know the same thing.
It’s no secret the Silver & Black have a long climb to reach relevancy. That became even more crystal clear when the Kansas City Chiefs toppled the Buffalo Bills 32-29 in the AFC Championship game on Sunday.
The playoff bracket featured quality competition across the board and top-seeded Kansas City downed the No. 4 seed Houston Texans in the divisional round and No. 2 Bills. Andy Reid’s football team is once again the class of the AFC once again as the Chiefs head to Super Bowl LIX in New Orleans to face the NFC representative Philadelphia Eagles.
Kansas City has the opportunity to land a three-peat in Super Bowl wins. Eight teams have won back-to-back Lombardi Trophies, but no team has won three in a row.
And that’s what Big Red is chasing in two weeks.
Said playoff bracket, however, featured a trio of AFC West teams, which will make the journey to relevance arduous for new Raiders head coach Pete Carroll and general manager John Spytek — both of whom were introduced officially on Monday. And the energetic and spry 74-year-old head coach did not stutter about what he’s seeking now he’s the lead man of the locker room: Win immediately.
That may sound laborious — winning from the get. And it’s surely going to be for both Spytek and Carroll. But difficult doesn’t mean impossible.
Far form it.
And if both the Raiders’ leading men are up for it, committed, and dedicated, that journey is going to be one hell of a story. Carroll has pen in hand and is ready to scribble.
“This is a real challenge for us, and we’re going to go arm in arm, John and I, and we’re going to put this thing together in a way that’s going to make you proud,” Carroll said during the introductory press conference. “You’re all wondering about timelines and all of that. It took us a few years to get to the very top of the last couple programs I was with. We’re starting right now, going for it immediately. We don’t have some time that we’ve got to make it five, six years down the road. That’s not what we’re thinking.
“We’ve got to start right now to go after it and build this team as quickly as we can. As John saw Maxx (Crosby) back there, Maxx, send the message, man. We’re coming after you. We’re going to come find you guys and get this thing rolling as soon as possible, with the highest of expectations, with a mentality that will drive high performance in a way that hopefully everybody is going to hear us and they’re going to know us. I’m really proud to take on that challenge.”
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