The last time the Kansas City Chiefs and the Oakland Raiders finished as the top two teams in the AFC West, Bill Clinton was President of the United States.
It was 1993 and gasoline could still be had for less than $1 a gallon.
When the Chiefs (5-2) and host Raiders (4-4) meet Sunday for the 100th time in the regular season, not many thought this would be a high-octane game when the 2010 season got under way.
If Oakland wins and the San Diego Chargers (3-5) lose at the Houston Texans, the Chiefs and Raiders would be two games clear of the Chargers and Broncos (2-6), who are off this week.
The Raiders are 3-1 at home this season, but the Chiefs have won seven straight in Oakland, including the last meeting 16-10 in 2009. Kansas City leads the all-time series 52-45-2.
The Raiders posted a stunning 59-14 victory over the Broncos in Week 7, and kept their momentum going with a 33-3 thrashing of the Seattle Seahawks last week. They are .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2002.
The Chiefs have also won two straight. They defeated the Buffalo Bills 13-10 on the last play of overtime last week and the Jacksonville Jaguars 42-20 in Week 7.
The Raiders, though, have faced the No. 32 and No. 26 rushing offenses the last two weeks. The Chiefs – at a whopping 190.4 yards per game – are No. 1. The Raiders are No. 2 (168.5).
The Raiders’ Darren McFadden (668 yards, 4 TDs) and the Chiefs’ Jamaal Charles (666) are seventh and eight, respectively, in the NFL in rushing yards. McFadden’s 111.3 yards per game lead the league.
Both teams have another player capable of being a No. 1 running back. The Chiefs have Thomas Jones (538 yards, 3 TDs) while the Raiders feature Michael Bush (307 yards, 4 TDs).
The game will likely come down to who can stop the run better. The Raiders are 26th in rushing defense (127.4). The Chiefs are No. 7 against the run (96.4 yards per game) and have beaten the No. 7 (Jaguars) and No. 13 (Bills) rushing attacks the last two weeks.
Both teams have modest passing games.
The Raiders started 2010 with offseason acquisition Jason Campbell, who lost his job to Bruce Gradkowski. After Gradkowski was injured, Campbell returned and has flourished. He is 27 of 47 for 514 yards and four touchdowns in his last two games.
Kansas City’s Matt Cassel has completed 58.7 percent of his passes, with 10 touchdowns and three interceptions. Five of his six touchdown passes to Dwayne Bowe have come in the last three games.
Tight end Zach Miller leads the Raiders with 34 catches for 461 yards and four touchdowns. Deeper threats Louis Murphy and Darrius Heyward-Bey have combined for 40 catches and two touchdowns.