The AFC West has turned into a surprise at the top and a mess at the bottom after three weeks, with the Las Vegas Raiders sitting exactly where few people expected them to be: unbeaten and tied with the Kansas City Chiefs for first place.
Las Vegas is 3-0, Kansas City is 3-0, Denver sits at 2-1, and the Los Angeles Chargers are still searching for their first win at 0-3. That setup alone would have been hard to predict before the season, but the way each team got there tells the story even better.
The Raiders had to grind for theirs in New Orleans. This one wasn’t a clean stroll like their first two wins.
Las Vegas fell behind by 11 in the middle of the third quarter, then ripped off 19 straight points to steal a comeback win over the Saints. Kirk Cousins turned in another strong outing, helped heavily by Brock Bowers in his return.
The run game still wasn’t much to write home about, though rookie Mike Washington Jr. delivered one huge touchdown burst. Michael Mayer found the end zone, and Cody White did too.
The offensive line was serviceable rather than dominant, but it held up enough. Matt Gay went 3-for-3 on field goals, and even with a few missed extra points, the Raiders still put 35 points on the board.
The defense was less steady early and more decisive late. After surrendering four touchdowns in the middle stretch, with much of that damage tied to Isaiah Pola-Mao, Las Vegas settled in.
The Saints were shut out over the final five possessions, and the Raiders forced takeaways on the last four. They kept pressure on throughout, finishing with 20 pressures, two sacks, six additional hits, four forced fumbles, three recoveries, two pass breakups and an interception.
They also had another pick wiped out by a penalty that didn’t matter in the end.
It wasn’t pretty, but it was a road win, and the Raiders stayed perfect.
The Chargers, meanwhile, had a game that looked more promising on paper than it did on the scoreboard. Buffalo’s Josh Allen coughed it up three times, and the Bills lost two more fumbles, but Los Angeles could only squeeze out 16 points in a 24-16 loss.
Justin Herbert was ordinary, and Keaton Mitchell outplayed Omarion Hampton at running back. The passing game had moments from Tre Harris and Ladd McConkey, but nothing that changed the outcome.
Even with four sacks and a defense that held Allen to 24 points, the Chargers couldn’t cash in. They flashed just enough to suggest they could hang around with the right execution, but the difference between them and the Raiders right now is obvious: Las Vegas has some cohesion, and Los Angeles doesn’t.
Kansas City’s 24-10 win over Miami was a little more straightforward, though it stayed tight for most of the night. It was 14-7 at halftime and 14-10 after three quarters before the Chiefs finally pushed away with a late touchdown and made it a two-score game with three minutes left.
Patrick Mahomes was solid without taking over. Kenneth Walker III finally cooled off, which mattered, and Rashee Rice is still settling in while Travis Kelce has looked like his old self again. That’s helped cover for a wide receiver group that still doesn’t look especially deep.
Defensively, Steve Spagnuolo’s unit continues to do its job, even after the offseason rebrand. Nick Bolton is still the anchor in the middle, and Mansoor Delane has been a problem at cornerback. The one thing the Chiefs didn’t do was get after the quarterback, finishing with zero sacks and letting Malik Willis escape.
Still, they keep winning, and they’ve found enough different ways to do it to justify the 3-0 start.
Denver’s latest win came with a heavy dose of help. The Broncos needed a missed call at home in prime time to get past a shorthanded Los Angeles Rams team on Sunday Night Football, and the performance did not exactly move the needle. Bo Nix was once again fine in a way that somehow passed for enough, while the run game was poor and the offseason addition of Jaylen Waddle wasn’t involved.
The Broncos’ offensive line remains a strength, and the defense keeps giving them a cushion. Matthew Stafford was sacked four times and threw two interceptions, one returned for a pick-6 and the other sealing the game in the end zone as time expired. Talanoa Hufanga came up with both picks.
But Denver also gave up plenty. The Rams ran for 116 yards at 5.0 yards per carry and threw for 390 yards.
Davante Adams had his way with Patrick Surtain II, and Konata Mumpfield caught four passes for 93 yards and a touchdown. The Broncos won, but they were beaten around enough to leave questions hanging over them.
Now the schedule turns to a huge Week 4 showdown. The Raiders and Chiefs meet Sunday in the late window at Allegiant Stadium, with the division’s two undefeated teams playing for early control of the AFC West. It’s a real measuring-stick game for Las Vegas.
Denver heads to San Francisco to face another 3-0 team, and the Broncos may be catching the 49ers at the right time if Nick Bosa and Mike Evans are both out, though they’ll still have their hands full.
The Chargers, still winless, go to Seattle to face a Seahawks team that will be looking to bounce back after losing a game it shouldn’t have in Week 3. Seattle doesn’t look quite as sharp as it did last year, but Mike Macdonald will have plenty of motivation for a matchup with Jim Harbaugh.
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