The Chiefs are heading into their first AFC West road test with a 1-0 division mark already in the bank, and Sunday’s trip to Las Vegas offers a real early-season gauge for both teams. Kansas City opened AFC West play by knocking off Denver in Week 1, then turns to a Raiders squad that has quietly become one of the league’s biggest early surprises.
Las Vegas has won three straight, and two of those victories came as upsets against the Chargers and Saints. That kind of run changes the conversation fast, and this matchup will go a long way toward showing whether the Raiders are simply hot or actually for real.
One reason the Raiders have been able to build this start is Brock Bowers. After making his first start of the season in Week 3, he delivered immediately with 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. If that level of production keeps coming, Las Vegas could be hanging around the playoff picture a few months from now.
From a betting angle, the number that stands out is the total of 47.5. The case for the under starts with both defenses, which have been excellent through the opening stretch.
Las Vegas ranks second in opponent EPA per play and eighth in opponent success rate, while allowing just 5.2 yards per snap. Kansas City has been just as stingy in its own way, sitting third in opponent yards per play at 4.7 and ranking sixth in both opponent EPA per play and opponent success rate.
With Patrick Mahomes on the field, the expectation is always that points can pile up. But the defensive profiles on both sides point in the opposite direction here, and that’s why the under is the play in this AFC West matchup.
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Kubiak also made a lineup call against the Saints that ended up carrying real weight, and tight end Bowers rewarded it with a big afternoon on the ground. Bowers finished with 116 rushing yards and a touchdown, and his impact helped the offense click alongside Mike Mayer, giving Las Vegas another sign that the early-season formula is working. [Read more 🡒]