Week 4’s Chiefs-Raiders matchup has a lot more juice than anyone expected a month ago.
Kansas City heads to Allegiant Stadium for its annual trip to Las Vegas, and this one comes with first place in the AFC West on the line. Both teams are 3-0, which is a shock considering the two franchises combined for just 9 total wins one year ago. The winner leaves with a 4-0 record and the early edge in the division race.
The Chiefs are starting to look like themselves again with Kenneth Walker in the backfield and a healthy Patrick Mahomes at quarterback. On the other side, the Raiders have already changed head coaches once again, but Klint Kubiak has them playing with real confidence. Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty have given the offense real punch, and that’s a big reason Las Vegas is sitting here undefeated.
Most of the predictions lean toward Kansas City, though not by a wide margin. The common thread: the Chiefs’ offense should move the ball, and their defense should do enough to keep the Raiders from matching score for score.
Christian Ainsworth sees the Chiefs building on last week’s momentum and attacking a struggling Raiders secondary, with Kansas City forcing a couple of turnovers on defense in a 31-17 win.
Matt Chabot has Travis Kelce leading the way again, calling for another 100-plus-yard game with at least seven catches as the Chiefs pick apart Las Vegas’ zone-heavy look. His pick: Chiefs 31, Raiders 21.
Matt Conner respects what the Raiders have done, but says their schedule is about to turn brutal, predicting Kansas City takes this one 27-20.
Bransen Gibson calls the matchup “spicier than it looked a month ago,” but still thinks the Chiefs are the better team and will raise their level with the division lead at stake. He has Kansas City winning 27-21.
Lyle Graversen likes the Raiders’ progress but doubts their defense can slow Kansas City enough, even if Bowers and Jeanty get theirs. His pick: Chiefs 30, Raiders 20.
Braden Holecek expects a slower, tighter game and believes the Chiefs’ consistency on crucial downs will make the difference. He has Kansas City winning 26-19.
Scott Loring points to Kansas City’s shaky first-quarter defense, noting that outside of Mansoor Delane’s first-quarter interception, the Chiefs have allowed 42% of their total points in the opening frame. Even so, he still backs Mahomes for a strong day in Las Vegas and calls for the season’s first Cyrus Allen sighting in a 25-17 Chiefs win.
Shawn O'Brate says this game looked easy before the season, but now that “Kirko” has the Raiders at 3-0, it’s not so simple. Still, he believes Kansas City’s run game stays rolling and that Maxx Crosby won’t be enough to stop it alone. His prediction is Chiefs 24, Raiders 17.
Charles Robinson notes that Andy Reid and Patrick Mahomes have never faced an undefeated Raiders team in Vegas before, but says that won’t change the outcome. He has the Chiefs winning 27-14.
Owen Smith doesn’t expect perfection, but does expect Kansas City to prove the Raiders’ start is a mirage in a 23-14 victory.
Hunter Stanton sees a close battle between two 3-0 teams, but thinks the Chiefs pull away late to move to 4-0. His pick: Chiefs 24, Raiders 20.
Lucas Strozinsky also calls it the battle of 3-0 teams and says this will be Kansas City’s toughest test so far, but still expects the Chiefs to pass it. He has them winning 30-26.
In Other News...
Russell Wilson Just Added Fuel To Chiefs Raiders Week 4
Russell Wilson is already putting a little extra heat on a rivalry game that usually needs no help. The former NFL quarterback said he believes the Las Vegas Raiders can upset the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 4, even going as far as suggesting Las Vegas could leave the afternoon matchup at 4-0. He also singled out Raiders quarterback Kirk Cousins for the way he has started the season, adding another layer of buzz to a game that will be shown on CBS at 4:25 p.m. EST.
For the Chiefs, its another reminder that the margin for error in the AFC West is never very large, especially when an opponent starts drawing confidence from outside the building. Kansas City has spent years as the standard in the division, but predictions like Wilsons only sharpen the attention around a Week 4 meeting that already carried plenty of weight before anybody started talking about records and momentum. [Read more 🡒]
Andy Reid Is One Raiders Win From An Ironic Stadium Milestone
Andy Reid has already made plenty of history at Allegiant Stadium, and the next trip there offers another chance to add to it. Since the building opened, Reid has piled up six wins there, most of them coming against the Raiders, with the Chiefs Super Bowl 58 victory mixed in as well.
Reid now sits tied with former Raiders head coaches Josh McDaniels and Antonio Pierce for the most wins by any coach at the venue, which adds a neat layer to an already familiar matchup. One more win over Las Vegas would push him alone to the top of that list, an ironic milestone for a coach whose success in that stadium has so often come at the Raiders expense. [Read more 🡒]
Chiefs Face An AFC West Test That Could Matter More For Vegas
The undefeated Chiefs are heading into a Week 4 meeting with the Raiders that carries more division weight than the record books might suggest. Kansas City has the advantage of experience and a familiar run of success in the AFC West, but this is also the kind of early-season test that can start to shape the standings before anyone is ready to label it a turning point.
Las Vegas arrives with a younger roster and a first-year head coach, which makes every division game a measuring stick for where the Raiders really stand. The Chiefs know the stretch ahead will keep asking questions, and so will the Raiders, making this matchup less about one afternoon and more about how both teams handle the response if the game tilts one way or the other. [Read more 🡒]