A massive AFC showdown is on tap Sunday as the Kansas City Chiefs head to their unofficial second home, Allegiant Stadium, to take on the Las Vegas Raiders. This is one of the league’s hottest rivalries—and arguably one of the biggest in the AFC. For the first time in quite a while, these two teams enter this matchup with identical records.
That makes this one even more intriguing: whoever loses could walk away with a serious reality check, while a Raiders win would certainly qualify as an upset. But despite sitting at a perfect 3-0, the Chiefs have some serious concerns heading into Vegas. And with kickoff set for 1:25 p.m. PT, Andy Reid’s squad is about to find out whether its hot start is the real deal—or just smoke and mirrors.
Numbers never lie, right?
Should the Chiefs Be Worried for Sunday’s Game?
The Chiefs’ Perfect Start Has A Very Obvious Weakness
For the better part of the last decade, the Chiefs have been the NFL’s gold standard in the AFC West—hoisting division titles, making deep playoff runs, and routinely putting themselves in the Super Bowl conversation.
So, watching the Chiefs completely fall off the map in 2025 was a genuine shock to the NFL landscape. The league’s defining dynasty of the post-Tom Brady era didn’t just miss the postseason; Kansas City limped to a 6-11 finish, five games below .500.
That was the Chiefs’ worst record since 2012 and their first season without a playoff berth since 2014. It was also the first time since that 2014 campaign that Kansas City failed to reach double-digit wins.
Now, three games into 2026, the Chiefs look like a very different football team—at least on paper.
Kansas City owns the NFL’s No. 1 offense, racking up 1,249 total yards and 88 points through three games. The offense is averaging 29.3 points per game, while the Chiefs have also posted a +3 turnover differential.
But there’s a catch.
For all the offensive fireworks, the defense hasn’t exactly been getting after the quarterback. Kansas City has just four sacks through three games, while the team has already piled up 23 penalties. The Chiefs are converting just 45.9% of their third downs and have a 6.3% drive turnover rate.
And then there’s the time of possession: Kansas City is averaging just three hours with the football.
Kansas City’s Defense Could Be Its Achilles’ Heel
The Chiefs may be 3-0, but not everything is sunshine and Super Bowl confetti in Kansas City. After a brutal 6-11 campaign in 2025, Kansas City has come out swinging in 2026. The offense is rolling, the wins are piling up, and the Chiefs look like a team determined to put last season in the rearview mirror.
But there’s a glaring disconnect: Kansas City is controlling games without consistently controlling the line of scrimmage.
The pass rush, in particular, has gone missing for stretches. The Chiefs have been held without a sack in back-to-back games and currently own a 3.7% sack rate, one of the lowest marks in the NFL. That lack of pressure is giving opposing quarterbacks too much time in the pocket—and it’s starting to show on money downs.
Miami, for example, repeatedly moved the chains on third-and-long, converting multiple third-and-8-plus situations against the Chiefs. When a defense can’t get off the field in those spots, even mediocre offenses can hang around.
Then there’s the discipline problem. Kansas City has already been flagged 23 times through three games, including eight penalties against the Dolphins. Those self-inflicted wounds are keeping opponents alive and turning what should be comfortable stretches into four-quarter fights.
So, the Chiefs are 3-0. The scoreboard says they’re rolling. The offense is humming. The numbers look impressive. But dig a little deeper, and there are enough red flags to make Chiefs Kingdom a little nervous.
But the bigger question is whether Kansas City is playing sustainable football—or simply winning in ways that could unravel fast once the margin for error disappears.
Main Image: Denny Medley-Imagn Images
