Sunday’s Raiders-Chiefs meeting in Week 4 has the feel of a checkpoint game for Las Vegas.
Both teams enter at 3-0, which puts sole possession of first place in the AFC West on the line through the first quarter of the season. The Raiders have already turned some heads under Klint Kubiak, but knocking off Kansas City would be the kind of result that forces everyone to take the Silver and Black a lot more seriously.
And that’s the backdrop here: the Raiders have surprised people, but the Chiefs are the team nobody is eager to dismiss. This is the game that will tell us a lot.
The broadcast treatment says plenty too. For the first time this season, Las Vegas will get the top analyst group with Nantz, Watt and Wolfson, another sign that this matchup is being held in high regard.
On the injury front, the Raiders got one notable bit of good news. Aidan O'Connell no longer carries a game designation, which means he will play on Sunday, or at least be available. Welcome back, AOC.
Las Vegas will still be without Jackson Powers-Johnson, who is out with a groin injury. Treydan Stukes is listed with a concussion, while Brock Bowers is dealing with a knee issue and Ashton Jeanty with an ankle injury.
Kansas City comes in in strong shape. Josh Simmons is out with a back injury, and L'Jarius Sneed is listed with a knee injury. The Chiefs are also getting back starting safety Chamarri Conner, and they haven’t had Simmons all year anyway.
One of the biggest Raiders questions is what Stukes’ return can do for the defense. He missed last week, and Las Vegas felt it.
Isaiah Pola-Mao gave up a few big gains and three touchdowns in his absence, and the Raiders should be sturdier on the back end and near the red zone with Stukes back. That matters a lot against Patrick Mahomes and a Chiefs receiving group built to hit explosive plays.
There’s also a spot open on the right side of the offensive line. Caleb Rogers is lined up to start at right guard with Powers-Johnson sidelined.
Kubiak has repeatedly said that Rogers and Powers-Johnson were both "starters" in the NFL, even though Rogers lost the close competition for the job. Now he gets his chance, and he draws a tough one in Chris Jones, who is playing at a high level again.
And then there’s the ground game, which may end up deciding the whole thing. The Raiders had a strong Week 1 on the ground, but they haven’t been able to sustain it since, and if they can’t run the ball, moving it downfield gets a lot harder. The defense has also had issues against the run this season, even if the numbers don’t fully capture it.
That’s a problem because Kansas City brings one of the most dangerous rushing attacks in the league, while also being slightly better than league average against the run. If Las Vegas can’t win some of those physical battles, this one could get away from them.
The picks reflect just how one-sided the national view leans. ESPN’s panel heavily backed the Chiefs, with Ben Solak taking the Raiders and the rest choosing Kansas City.
NFL Media had a split board too, with Bucky Brooks, Brooke Cersosimo, Brandon Perna, Kevin Patra and Lance Zierlein on the Raiders, while Colleen Wolfe, Grant Gordon, Tom Grossi, Nick Shook and Dan Parr went with the Chiefs. Bleacher Report showed the same divide, with Wes O'Donnell and Brett Sobleski picking the Raiders, and Gary Davenport, Moe Moton, Kritsopher Knox, Ian Hanford and Brad Gagnon siding with Kansas City.
In Other News...
Raiders Fans Face A Familiar Allegiant Problem Before Chiefs Game
When Allegiant Stadium opened, Raiders fans were told it would give the team a true home-field edge in Las Vegas. Instead, Sundays against Kansas City have often turned into a familiar sight, with plenty of red in the stands and visiting fans making the trip well in advance of kickoff. With the Chiefs coming to town again on Sunday, the Raiders are once more bracing for a crowd that will not look especially friendly.
Raider Nation Radio host JT the Brick has been pushing a message Raiders fans have heard before: keep the tickets in Raiders hands and do not let them end up with opposing fans. Projections suggest 64 percent of the crowd will be wearing silver and black, which would make the Chiefs contingent a little smaller than in some previous meetings, but the bigger question for Las Vegas remains the same. At Allegiant, the home crowd has had to fight to sound and feel like one for a while now. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Get A Brock Bowers Twist Right Before Chiefs Game
Brock Bowers popped up on the injury report Friday with an illness, giving the Raiders a late-week wrinkle heading into Sundays matchup with the Chiefs. The rookie tight end has quickly become one of the more important pieces of Las Vegas offense, and the timing of any concern around him is less than ideal with Kansas City on deck.
The good news for the Raiders is that Bowers is still expected to play, even after being listed questionable. He already worked through an early-season absence after a meniscus trim and came back with a strong showing in Week 3, so Las Vegas has reason to believe this latest issue is more of a brief nuisance than a real setback. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Make Intriguing Chiefs Gameday Shakeup With Young Talent Involved
Aidan OConnell is back in the mix for the Raiders on Sunday, and his return to emergency third-quarterback duty was part of a noticeable Week 4 shuffle as Las Vegas adjusted its game-day roster for the trip to face Kansas City. The bigger personnel wrinkle for the Raiders came on the defensive side, where rookie Dalton Johnson was active for the first time and stepped in at safety, giving the coaching staff a fresh look in the secondary.
Las Vegas also turned to JJ Pegues over Jonah Laulu, another sign that the Raiders were willing to make some young-player decisions on a short week of roster management. It all comes against a Chiefs team missing starting left tackle Josh Simmons, a development that could influence how the matchup unfolds up front even before the Raiders get a chance to test their own new combinations on defense. [Read more 🡒]