Spreadsheet Warriors: Raiders

The latest newsletter from KCSN Sports Data Scientist, Joseph Hefner

The Chiefs have avenged Christmas Day, 2023. All of you remember that Christmas. The game it was impossible to lose. The game where our defense annihilated the Raiders offense, smothering them to the tune of only allowing 62 total passing yards, and 6 total points. And yet the Chiefs lost. Two ugly turnovers that the Raiders defense turned into two touchdowns, and an absolutely horrid offensive performance by the Chiefs.

Christmas day. Not a day when I want to watch football, if I’m being honest. I want to spend the entire day with my family, celebrating the season, opening presents, eating a Christmas ham (which is unequivocally better than turkey, for the record). Instead, I was subjected to one of the worst KC losses I have ever experienced. That was the day I lost my faith that the Chiefs would turn it around in 2023.

I was wrong. The Chiefs have not lost a game since that day. Not in 2023. Not in 2024. Thirteen games, thirteen wins. One Super Bowl victory. The only undefeated team in the NFL in 2024. The Raiders coach, Antonio Pierce, harped on and on that the Raiders had the formula for beating the Chiefs. Spoiler alert: they did not.

You see, playing Mahomes on the absolute worst game of his life, and getting two defensive touchdowns, is not repeatable in the National Football League. It does not matter how many Kermit the Frog muppets you bring to practice, you cannot repeat the unrepeatable. Congratulations, you won on Christmas day, Raiders. You will always have that. I hope that victory keeps you warm at night the way the Chiefs three Lombardi trophies keep me warm.