The Las Vegas Raiders are 1 of the league’s astir astonishing teams aft 3 weeks, portion the Kansas City Chiefs are backmost successful acquainted territory aft an injury-plagued down year.
Both are 3-0 and volition play for sole possession of archetypal spot successful the AFC West.
Game information
■ Who: Raiders vs. Chiefs
■ When: 1:25 p.m. Sunday
■ Where: Allegiant Stadium
■ TV: CBS (Jim Nantz, play-by-play; J.J. Watt, analyst)
■ Radio: KRLV-AM (920), KOMP-FM (92.3) (Jason Horowitz, play-by-play; Kirk Morrison, analyst)
■ Line: Chiefs -4½, full 47½
Series history
It has been a precise one-sided rivalry arsenic of late.
The Raiders did extremity past play with a triumph successful a crippled wherever injured backmost Patrick Mahomes was joined by respective different veterans connected the sideline, but the Chiefs had captured 19 of the erstwhile 23 meetings.
Kansas City present holds a 76-56-2 vantage successful the all-time bid that dates backmost to 1960.
The Raiders did people a convincing 44-6 triumph successful the 1968 AFL title game.
Kansas City won the 2 different postseason meetings.
Last meeting
Jan. 4, 2026 — Daniel Carlson deed a 60-yard tract extremity successful the last seconds to assistance the Raiders to a 14-12 victory successful the play finale.
It was Carlson’s 4th tract extremity of the crippled successful what was his last crippled with the franchise.
Chris Oladokun and Shane Buechele combined for 146 passing yards and were sacked 8 times successful spot of an injured Mahomes, including erstwhile successful the extremity portion for a safety.
Charles Snowden, Tyree Wilson and Tonka Hemingway each had 2 sacks for the Raiders, who had already secured the apical prime successful the draft.
Bold predictions
1. Maxx Crosby, who has not recorded a sack since the opener, volition get astatine slightest 2 against Mahomes.
2. Raiders moving backmost Mike Washington Jr. volition get astatine slightest 10 touches for the archetypal clip successful his career, including his archetypal engagement successful the passing game.
3. Chiefs information Jaden Hicks, a Bishop Gorman alum, volition unit his archetypal turnover of the play successful his instrumentality to Las Vegas.
Storyline
This should beryllium the biggest crippled astatine Allegiant Stadium since the playoff-clinching triumph implicit the Los Angeles Chargers successful 2021.
It’s a large rivalry that has inactive provided immoderate large moments contempt the Chiefs’ dominance successful the past decade, but the Raiders being applicable volition lone bolster the festivities.
Mahomes said it has been amusive to perceive Chiefs fans instrumentality implicit Allegiant Stadium implicit the years, including erstwhile they won the Super Bowl there, but believes the Raiders fans whitethorn yet beryllium retired successful afloat unit this week.
“I wouldn’t beryllium amazed if it’s a precise hostile environment, trying to instrumentality maine backmost to those Oakland Raiders days and truthful I’m excited conscionable for the challenge,” helium told reporters. “They’re playing large football. You tin spot it connected tape. That 3-0 record’s real. They’ve been playing large the full season. And so, for us, it’s different step, different situation that we person to spell up determination and match.”
Chiefs manager Andy Reid, who is tied with Antonio Pierce and Josh McDaniels for astir wins by a caput manager successful Allegiant Stadium history, believes it’s bully for the NFL erstwhile the Raiders are good.
“It’s large for the league,” helium said. “It’s large for the Raiders fans. They should beryllium excited. You emotion that portion of this. You emotion the challenge. That’s wherefore we each bash this happening and going against a bully team. You enactment each this enactment and clip in. You emotion going against a bully team.”
It’s a large accidental to beryllium legitimacy for the Raiders, who are 3-0 against 3 opponents with a combined grounds of 1-8.
When the Chiefs person the ball
Mahomes is starting to look similar Mahomes again, but what should truly scare the league is however good the Chiefs person integrated Kenneth Walker III into the offense.
He is starring the NFL successful rushing done 3 weeks.
Raiders manager Klint Kubiak knows precisely however impactful Walker tin be, having been his violative coordinator past twelvemonth successful Seattle erstwhile the moving backmost won Super Bowl MVP.
“Big playability,” Kubiak said of Walker. “He tin deed a location tally from anyplace connected the field.
“Kenneth is simply a tremendous back. He’s playing arsenic bully arsenic anybody successful the league close now, and we person to halt him.”
The Chiefs moving crippled has opened up the play-action, and Mahomes has been capable to instrumentality vantage by incorporating the heavy shot backmost successful the offense.
They are besides starring the league successful yards aft catch.
It has made for a dynamic commencement to the play arsenic they person steadily climbed the likelihood committee and are present among the Super Bowl favorites.
And with Reid, the Raiders indispensable ever beryllium alert of the bizarre and obscure.
Remember the merry-go-round huddle astatine Allegiant Stadium?
During a Week 1 triumph implicit the Denver Broncos, Reid called a play helium had seen connected a black-and-white item video from 1936 and it went for a touchdown.
The Raiders volition beryllium acceptable for anything.
“Play your rules,” antiaircraft coordinator Rob Leonard said of what helium tells his defence astir the unexpected. “Focus connected us. They volition bash what they do. Again, goes backmost to bully eyes, discipline, large communication, and spot your rules and the process.”
Easier said than done.
When the Raiders person the ball
Much has been made of Chiefs antiaircraft coordinator Steve Spagnuolo going 4-0 against Kubiak’s offenses the past 4 years, but Kubiak was lone an violative coordinator and playcaller for 1 of those games.
It should beryllium a large chess lucifer with each being among the champion successful the league astatine calling plays connected their respective broadside of the ball.
“Every year, I’d accidental they’re the champion coached portion successful the league,” Kubiak said. “It shows connected tape.”
Raiders violative coordinator Andrew Janocko is excited for the situation of going against Spagnuolo.
“He’s been doing it for a agelong time, and he’s been doing worldly truly good for a agelong time,” Janocko said. “That group’s been together. They’re cohesive. They’re unbelievably good coached. Everybody knows however to bash what they are asked to bash and bash it astatine a fast-paced level. It’s a tremendous situation for us.”
Fortunately for the Raiders, they person prima choky extremity Brock Bowers backmost to assistance onslaught that defense.
His 2026 debut successful New Orleans looked similar a continuation of grooming campy erstwhile helium appeared to beryllium some the archetypal and 2nd enactment connected astir walk plays.
Kirk Cousins has thrown 3 touchdown passes successful each 3 games and took the passing discourtesy to a caller level with Bowers backmost successful the mix.
The Raiders request to find a mode to tally the shot effectively, though. Ashton Jeanty has mostly been stuck successful neutral the past 2 weeks, possibly feeling the effects of a preseason ankle injury. Washington gave the Raiders a spark past week and whitethorn person earned much opportunities.
Injury report
■ Raiders: Out: G Jackson Powers-Johnson (groin). Questionable: QB Aidan O’Connell (personal).
■ Chiefs: Out: OT Josh Simmons (back).
The pick
Chiefs 27, Raiders 20
Adam Hill Las Vegas Review-Journal
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