The Raiders walked into Week 4 with a chance to grab the AFC West by the throat. Instead, they took their first loss of the season, dropped a 30-27 home decision to the Chiefs, and still came out of Sunday in a pretty strong place.
That’s the strange part of the weekend for Las Vegas: the defeat stung, but the division scoreboard helped soften it. Denver fell to the 49ers, 24-14, and the Chargers got blasted by the Seahawks, leaving the Raiders still sitting second in the AFC West and sixth in the AFC playoff picture. For a team that looked like it might be more noise than substance, that’s real progress.
Against Kansas City, though, the Raiders showed they’re not just hanging around anymore. They were in it until the end, and for long stretches they looked like a team capable of taking the game.
Kirk Cousins had a big day working the middle of the field, finding Brock Bowers, Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas over and over in the passing game. Las Vegas moved the ball in the air, but the rest of the offense never really held up its end.
The offensive line was a mess. It struggled in pass protection and couldn’t open much on the ground, and the numbers back up how rough it got: 27 pressures allowed, 12 quarterback hits surrendered, and just 72 rushing yards on 26 carries. That works out to 2.6 yards per attempt, and it never felt like the backs had much room to breathe.
Kansas City won the game on the ground, and Kenneth Walker III was the biggest hammer. He ran for 177 yards and two touchdowns, including a 76-yard burst in the fourth quarter. The Raiders did generate some heat on Patrick Mahomes, but not enough to keep him from answering with the kind of explosive throws that turn close games into losses.
Special teams didn’t help either. On a day when Las Vegas needed clean execution in every phase, that unit was uncharacteristically bad, and the Chiefs took advantage when it mattered. Andy Reid’s team looks like a contender again, while the Raiders are still trying to prove this start is for real.
Denver’s loss was a different kind of problem. The Broncos’ two-game winning streak ended in a 24-14 defeat to San Francisco, and Bo Nix is taking heat for not pushing the ball downfield.
The new Davis Webb-run offense still looks out of sync, and the rushing game hasn’t been much help either. Jaylen Waddle and Courtland Sutton aren’t being featured the way people expected, while the defense keeps showing weak spots, including Alex Singleton.
The losses of John Franklin-Myers and Jonathan Cooper are also hard to miss.
The Chargers, meanwhile, were a complete mess from the jump. Justin Herbert threw a baffling interception on the opening snap, then tossed another before halftime.
In the first half, the offense went three-and-out five straight times and managed only 25 yards during that stretch. It was ugly from the start.
Los Angeles did finally wake up after halftime, scoring on three straight possessions, but then gave the game away late. The offense has been streaky at best, and the defense gave up 30 points even though Seattle’s yardage total wasn’t especially eye-popping, which points to special teams problems too.
The Chargers turned it over four times, came away with only one takeaway, ran the ball well but couldn’t stop the run, and still can’t get the passing game fully on track. At 0-4, they look completely out of sync, and the rumors about Khalil Mack wanting out only add to the noise.
Week 5 doesn’t offer much relief for Las Vegas. The Raiders head back to the East Coast for the second time in three weeks to face a Patriots team that suddenly has some life after knocking off the previously unbeaten Bills.
Drake Maye looked like himself again, and New England got key production from TreVeyon Henderson and Romeo Doubs while winning without Christian Gonzalez or Christian Barmore. If those two return, the challenge gets even tougher for the Raiders on the road.
The Chargers, meanwhile, draw a Broncos team that still looks better than its record suggests because of the schedule it has played. Denver can’t afford to slip against the division’s last-place team, but it has had trouble with Los Angeles, which makes this one a tricky spot. Raider Nation should be rooting for the Chargers there.
Kansas City gets the week off with an early bye and won’t be back until Week 6, when the Chiefs host the Chargers. That game comes after Los Angeles takes on Denver, so the AFC West could look a little different by then.
In Other News...
Maxx Crosby Just Took The Mahomes Rivalry Somewhere Personal
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Crosby also pointed to one of the stranger details of the matchup, saying Mahomes makes unusual vocal sounds when he gets tackled. It is the kind of observation that only comes from repeated collisions and plenty of time spent trying to get inside an opponents head, and Crosby has done plenty of both, piling up 6.5 sacks and 49 quarterback pressures against Mahomes in his career. [Read more 🡒]
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Kwity Paye did not make much of an imprint on the defensive side, and Dareke Youngs fumble on a kickoff return became the kind of mistake that can swing momentum before a team has settled in. In a loss that doubled as an evaluation game, the Raiders found enough positives to keep building on, but the individual letdowns also made clear which players will have to answer quickly the next time they take the field. [Read more 🡒]
Raiders Catch A Break As Patriots Defense Enters Week 5 Shorthanded
The Raiders Week 5 prep got a little more interesting when the Patriots opened the week with a long injury list on defense, including eight players who were absent from the first practice. For a Las Vegas offense looking to build momentum, the timing matters, because New Englands depth chart is already being tested before the game even gets into full swing.
Christian Gonzalez and Christian Barmore were among the most notable names, with Gonzalez expected to remain out and Barmore possibly limited to some activities. The Patriots do have a few players on injured reserve who are eligible to return, but coach Mike Vrabel said it does not sound like any of them are likely to be activated this week, leaving the Raiders with a clearer path to attack a defense that may be piecing things together on the fly. [Read more 🡒]