It’s been a while since the Kansas City Chiefs have had a division rivalry. Sure, all of the teams hate one another, but the Chiefs have pretty much kicked all of their butts in the last six or seven years. Whether it was the Chiefs’ 14-game winning streak over the Denver Broncos or the six-game winning streak against the Las Vegas Raiders, the Chiefs have dominated the AFC West.
Some AFC West rivalries may be back on after the Chiefs’ two losses. The Raiders rivalry stands out, in particular, because of how embarrassing it was for Kansas City.
That hasn’t happened in a very long time. After the two losses, some rivalries may be back, especially the Raiders’ rivalry, when you consider how embarrassing it was. The Chiefs lost on Christmas Day. And to make matters worse the Raiders quarterback, Aidan O’Connell, didn’t complete a pass after the first quarter. Las Vegas also walked away with two defensive touchdowns.
Recently, Pierce went on The Rush with Maxx Crosby and described how he felt after that win. Pierce, who grew up in Los Angeles as a Raiders fan, is the perfect man for the job over there; as he described, he hates the color red because that’s what he was taught. He also mentioned that he now has the recipe to beat the Chiefs.
Initially, when you hear that, you think, “Well, scoring two defensive touchdowns won’t happen every single time,” but that’s not the recipe he was talking about. It’s a bit deeper, and he breaks down what he means.
“We’ve got the Jordan rules and what I’m calling, from now on as long as I’m here, the Patrick Mahomes rules,” Pierce said on Maxx Crosby’s podcast. “So, you remember when Jordan was going through it with the Pistons, all those guys in the ’80s; before he became Michael Jordan, Air Jordan, the Pistons used to whup his ass. Any time he came to the hole? Elbows, feeling him, love taps. We touched him. We’re in the head, mentally, physically, emotionally, spiritually; I’m touching you. So, I showed those guys Jordan getting his ass whupped.”
Now, forget about Mike Florio calling Pierce out for this, saying the league could investigate it as if Florio hasn’t recommended in the past that teams intentionally hurt Mahomes. Forget all of that. This is actually a compliment for Mahomes and the Chiefs. Just think about it.
Because he went 6-0 in the NBA Finals, Michael Jordan is often looked at as the greatest athlete of all time in all professional American sports. He is often looked at as the G.O.A.T. of all G.O.A.T.s. The NBA got as physical as it did because of MJ, and the rules changed because of him, too. The Detroit Pistons had to apply the “Jordan Rules” because they, and everyone else, noticed that he was next up. That was the only way they could win. So, they beat him up, almost literally, during games. They wore him down until he could not go anymore.
Do you know what happened after the Jodan Rules? Jordan got into the lab and returned stronger and better. The Jordan Rules only worked for a short period. Pierce saying that isn’t as “cool” as everyone may think. The Jordan Rules still ended up backfiring on the Pistons. In the Eastern Conference Finals for two years in a row, the Pistons beat the Bulls, which is when the Jordan Rules were made. The very next year, the Bulls swept the Pistons in the Conference Finals and then would go on to win six straight rings technically.
By calling them the “Mahomes Rules,” you’re basically comparing Mahomes to Jordan. That’s a compliment, if anything, a compliment that won’t work again. Sure, it worked on Christmas Day, but knowing how Mahomes operates and the work he does in the offseason, it won’t work again.
