Russell Wilson is betting on the Las Vegas Raiders to keep their unexpected run rolling in Week 4, and he’s not just leaning their way - he’s flat-out calling for an upset over the Kansas City Chiefs.
Wilson, who spent two seasons with the Denver Broncos, said he’s seen enough of Patrick Mahomes and Kansas City to know how hard it is to beat them. Still, he thinks this Raiders team is ready to do it on Sunday.
On the CBS NFL pregame show, Wilson backed Las Vegas to move to 4-0, pointing to the way the team has played and to the early-season production from Kirk Cousins.
"I'm calling it right now, there's going to be an upset by the Vegas Raiders and they're going to go 4-0," said Wilson. "I was doubting early.
But how they have played, how consistent. Kirk Cousins has nine touchdowns.
He has been there before. He has been in big games, big moments."
That’s a strong stance considering Mahomes has gone 13-2 in his career against the Raiders, but Wilson isn’t alone in noticing that this version of Las Vegas looks different from the teams people expected coming into the season.
The Raiders were widely viewed as a possible rebuilding squad, especially with Fernando Mendoza, the No. 1 pick in the 2026 NFL Draft, expected to learn behind Cousins early in the year. Instead, Cousins has been sharp through three games, and the Raiders have already picked up upset wins over the Los Angeles Chargers and the New Orleans Saints over the last two weeks.
A win over Kansas City would give Las Vegas sole possession of first place in the AFC West, a development that would carry major weight for its postseason outlook.
Chiefs-Raiders is set for Sunday at 4:25 p.m. EST on CBS.
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 🡒]
