The first week of the AFC West season didn’t exactly clarify everything, but it did leave the Las Vegas Raiders with something useful: a path that looks a little less steep than it did seven days ago.
Las Vegas handled business at home, beating the Miami Dolphins 27-13 in a wire-to-wire win that was imperfect but encouraging. Across the division, the Los Angeles Chargers stumbled badly in their own building, falling 26-14 to the Arizona Cardinals in a game they never led. And on Monday night, the Kansas City Chiefs and Denver Broncos produced a matchup that felt more revealing for what it wasn’t than what it was.
After one week, the standings are simple:
Kansas City Chiefs 1-0
Las Vegas Raiders 1-0
Los Angeles Chargers 0-1
Denver Broncos 0-1
The Chiefs sit atop the division after their Monday Night Football win, but even with the victory, they didn’t look like some untouchable force. Kansas City showed something it hasn’t displayed much lately: a lethal ground attack.
Kenneth Walker III was the engine, and he tore up the Broncos on the ground. Patrick Mahomes, though, looked shaky throwing the ball under the lights.
Andy Reid leaned on the run game, and the aerial attack never really threatened. The receiving group still doesn’t look especially dangerous.
Defensively, though, Kansas City brought plenty. Steve Spagnuolo’s unit held up well on the back end, and the pass rush looked improved.
The Chiefs’ overall style even mirrored what the Raiders are trying to do: run the ball, create problems with defense, and protect inexperienced defensive backs with exotic looks. Right now, that makes Kansas City the division favorite.
Denver, meanwhile, had a rough opening night. The Broncos missed nearly 30 tackles and looked like they’d lost some of their defensive edge.
Their offense was just as messy. Davis Webb, their new offensive coordinator, couldn’t get the unit moving, and Bo Nix had a true stinker.
The whole operation looked disjointed, from pre-snap efficiency to play-calling. Jaylen Waddle was a non-factor, and the run game never got going.
It was their worst opening-game loss in more than 20 years.
That backdrop matters for the Raiders, because it changes how Week 2 looks. Las Vegas travels to face the Chargers at SoFi Stadium on Sunday afternoon, and after watching Los Angeles in Week 1, this suddenly feels a lot more manageable. It’s not a statement that the Raiders should win, but it is fair to say the Chargers look more beatable than they did a week ago.
Justin Herbert didn’t exactly light up the Cardinals’ defense, and Omarion Hampton wasn’t much of a factor on the ground. He also put the ball on the ground.
Ladd McConkey, the Chargers’ leading receiver, is likely to be out or at least not at full strength. And the offensive line is dealing with real issues inside after Tyler Biadasz’s injury.
Los Angeles even rotated at left guard on Sunday, and neither player did much with the chance.
There’s still talent on that roster. The Chargers made the playoffs last year and brought back a lot of their key players.
Their offensive tackles are healthy again, and Jim Harbaugh still has a team that can make things difficult. But the unit that showed up against Arizona was not a finished product.
Defensively, the Chargers remain solid, but they don’t look as clean as they did a year ago. Maybe that’s because Chris O'Leary isn’t hiding the weak spots as well as Jesse Minter did. Arizona found plenty of room for 10-plus-yard throws, and Jacoby Brissett helped the Cardinals carve them up.
The Raiders have their own question marks, of course. There’s no need to turn one week into a season-long forecast.
But after seeing their division rivals look human, Las Vegas has every reason to believe Sunday’s trip won’t be a lost cause. If anything, Week 1 made the AFC West feel more open than expected.
Klint Kubiak’s team already did what it was supposed to do once. If it can keep building, this could become a much more interesting race sooner rather than later.
In Other News...
Kwity Paye Is Already Changing What Raiders Can Do Up Front
Kwity Payes first game with the Raiders gave Las Vegas something it has been looking for up front: another defender who can make the quarterback uncomfortable without needing everything to run through Maxx Crosby. Paye showed up across the stat sheet with sacks, quarterback hits, pressures, tackles and stops, and the bigger takeaway was how quickly he fit into a role that asks him to work alongside Crosby rather than simply chase production on his own.
That pairing matters because Paye also brings versatility, lining up in multiple spots and giving the Raiders more ways to shape their front. For a defense that already leans on Crosby to tilt protections and dictate attention, having another edge presence who can move around changes the way opponents have to prepare. It is early, but the first impression was enough to suggest Las Vegas may have found a front-seven piece that opens up more options than the box score alone can show. [Read more 🡒]
Kirk Cousins Just Gave Raiders Fans Real Hope At Quarterback
The Raiders had plenty of questions at quarterback when they brought in veteran Kirk Cousins to serve as the bridge while rookie Fernando Mendoza develops into the long-term answer. In Week 1, Cousins helped settle things down by guiding Las Vegas to a win over the Miami Dolphins, and the bigger takeaway was not just the result but the way he kept the offense on schedule with steady, sustained drives.
For a team staring at a difficult stretch ahead, that kind of competence matters. The plan has been straightforward from the start, with Cousins expected to provide solid play for part of the season while Mendoza gets his footing, but early wins have a way of changing the temperature around a season and making the quarterback conversation feel a little less settled than it did in the summer. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Face A Costly Decision On Their Next Young Core Piece
The Raiders have already shown a willingness to invest in their young core, recently extending tight end Michael Mayer and keeping enough cap room on hand to stay active. The next name to watch is Tre Tucker, who is now entering the final year of his rookie deal after carving out a bigger role in the offense and becoming a steady presence in the locker room.
Tuckers rise has made him a realistic candidate for an early extension, especially with his projected market value for 2027 sitting at $13.7 million per year. For Las Vegas, the question is less about whether he fits the long-term plan and more about when to act, since waiting could make a promising, homegrown piece significantly more expensive to keep. [Read more 🡒]