The division rivalries between NFL teams are what make the league so unique. The AFC West boasts a fantastic matchup between the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs.
Although the Chiefs are the league’s best after winning two consecutive Super Bowls, the Raiders always find a way to challenge them throughout the regular season. These two teams evidently like competing against one another, and that should continue into the 2024 season.
Only a few players realize what the AFC West rivalry means to them, with former running back Marcus Allen being one of the few who sees it from both sides. Allen described what it was like to play for both the Raiders and the Chiefs to Ed Easton Jr. of Chiefs Wire:
“When I was playing for the Raiders, it just felt like everybody was a rival, but, when I played for the Chiefs, I felt, in particular, the Raiders were the rival, and Marty Schottenheimer made a point of that special, he emphasized it that way,” Allen told me. “For me, it was a balancing act, right? I go to compete whatever; even if I were playing against my brother, I would never aim to disgrace him; instead, I would try to win, and that was my approach.
Nothing was personal. Remember, these are my friends, with whom I battled, and that is why, if there is one, I believe the most recent event I attended was the Kimble Anders (Chiefs Ring of Honor) induction because these are my teammates. I will not let anything or anyone separate me from that, even if they want you to pick and choose. “I will always choose my teammates.”
Allen was a beloved teammate for both franchises, and he confessed it was always heartbreaking to win against Las Vegas.
“In this situation, I played on two teams and had fantastic teammates on both. So that’s how I see things. “Yes, I wanted to win the game,” replied Allen. “We won nine out of 10, but I had conflicting emotions, right? It’s like, I’m going to win, but I don’t feel good about beating my friends, and that’s how it was.”
It would be difficult for any Raiders fan to resent Allen after he helped the team win a Super Bowl, and there is obviously no animosity between the two franchises.
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