Darren Waller knows that one age-old NFL rivalry that has taken a back seat to others over the past few years is that of the Las Vegas Raiders and the Kansas City Chiefs.

This has a lot to do with how successful the Chiefs have been under the reign of superstar quarterback Patrick Mahomes, coupled with the fact that for their part, the Raiders have made just a single postseason appearance since 2002.

If you ask Raiders tight end Darren Waller, however, he remains adamant that Las Vegas is right up there with the Chiefs.

The 28-year-old illustrated his point by explaining why he believes the Raiders were the better team this season in terms of their head-to-head matchups:

“I really don't think there's much because the first game we won, the second game they score at the end and if you ask people on defense, they say we can't happen but those are two games that we feel like we should have won,” Waller told Raiders reporter Josh Schrock of NBC Sports Bay Area.

Waller did not stop there. The Pro Bowl TE then went on to say that in his mind, the Chiefs do not have a significant advantage over his Raiders:

“We don't feel like the gap is that big, honestly,” Waller claimed about the Raiders. “It's easy to show up and play them because they are so good and so talented that you naturally want to play your best. We feel like our best is right there with theirs.”

For what it's worth, the Raiders are 1-5 against the Chiefs in the Mahomes era.

The new season will present a fresh start for the Raiders, though, as they look to close the gap on Kansas City. Vegas knows how high the bar is set by the Chiefs, who have hosted each of the last three AFC Championship Games, but Waller is trying to change the culture and the mindset in the Raiders' camp.