Last week, the Kansas City Chiefs won their first road game of the season, defeating the Miami Dolphins 24-10 to remain undefeated through the first three weeks. The Las Vegas Raiders have been one of the season’s biggest surprises, coming off a huge road win last week over the New Orleans Saints, 35-27, to improve to 3-0. Now, the two undefeated teams, who are sitting atop the AFC West, will face off in a divisional battle on Sunday, October 4, at 4:25 p.m. EST, with one team set to suffer its first loss of the season.
The Chiefs defeated the Dolphins thanks to performances by quarterback Patrick Mahomes and running back Kenneth Walker III. Despite throwing one interception, Mahomes was efficient, throwing for 246 yards and two touchdowns on a 20-for-24 completion rate. However, Walker was the star of the game, rushing for 70 yards on 18 carries and scoring one rushing and one receiving touchdown. The defense rebounded from its struggles against the Colts in Week 2, limiting the Dolphins to 10 points and forcing two turnovers despite giving up 329 yards.
The Raiders kept their unbeaten start alive, overcame an 11-point deficit late in the third quarter, and scored 19 unanswered points to defeat the Saints on the road. Quarterback Kirk Cousins has continued his hot start with the Raiders, throwing three touchdowns on 248 yards with no interceptions. The return of tight end Brock Bowers also sparked the offense, catching 10 passes for 116 yards and scoring one touchdown.
The defense played a big role in this win, forcing four turnovers on all of the Saints’ fourth-quarter possessions and leading the Raiders to score 14 points in the quarter. They have now forced nine turnovers in the first three games of the season, the most in the NFL, and have scored 24 points off them.
Kansas City Chiefs vs. Las Vegas Raiders Preview
Game: Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) @ Las Vegas Raiders (3-0)
History: 76–56–2, Kansas City Chiefs
Last Meeting: 14- 12, Las Vegas Raiders (2026)
Time: 4:25 p.m. (EST)
Location: Allegiant Stadium | Las Vegas, NV
TV: CBS
Radio: KFNZ 96.5 FM| KOMP 92.3 FM| 920 AM KRLV | SiriusXM 192, 261, XM App
Odds: Chiefs -4.5 | O/U: 47.5
This will be the 135th meeting between the two divisional opponents and the seventh played in Las Vegas since the Raiders moved there in 2020. Since the move, the Chiefs have dominated the rivalry, winning nine of the last 12 games. Despite winning five of the six meetings in Las Vegas, the Chiefs suffered their first road loss to the Raiders in their most recent matchup, falling 14-12 in last year’s regular-season finale.
Chiefs Hoping To Continue ‘Arrowhead West’ Trend in Las Vegas
The Chiefs have a strong history at the Raiders’ home stadium, Allegiant Stadium, despite losing there for the first time last season.
Since the Raiders moved to Las Vegas in 2020, the Chiefs have won every matchup against the Raiders in Las Vegas when Mahomes has been healthy. It also hosted Super Bowl LVIII, when Mahomes and the Chiefs beat the San Francisco 49ers in 2024. Because of all the success at Allegiant Stadium, Chiefs fans have dubbed it ‘Arrowhead West’. However, this week’s divisional matchup feels different than in previous years because of the Raiders’ hot start to the season.
In previous meetings, Chiefs fans have filled Allegiant Stadium, and the team hasn’t felt intimidated by the road disadvantage. Still, Mahomes said in his press conference on Wednesday that this year might feel different playing in Las Vegas because of the Raiders’ hot start.
“I wouldn’t be surprised if it’s a very hostile environment trying to take me back to those Oakland Raiders days,” Mahomes said. “And so, I’m excited just for the challenge. You know, I mean, they’re playing great football. You can see it on tape. That 3–0 record’s real.”
Head coach Andy Reid echoed that sentiment during his press conference on Wednesday and is happy to see the Raiders are an exciting, competitive team under head coach Klint Kubiak. For that reason, he is welcoming the challenge of taking on a really good Raiders team.
It’s great for the league. It’s great for the Raider fans, and they should be excited,” Reid said. “You love that part of this. You love the challenge. That’s why we all do this thing, and going against a good team, you love going against a good team.”
While this will be a tough challenge for them, Reid knows how important Walker III will be in determining the outcome of the game. Since he joined the Chiefs in the offseason, Reid has called play-action plays at 18.6%, the seventh-highest rate in the NFL. This has made Walker dangerous in both the running and passing game while taking some pressure off Mahomes. With the offense facing a Raiders defense that has averaged three turnovers per game, the Chiefs know they will have to play their best brand of football to come out with the win.
Las Vegas Raiders Taking It One Step At A Time Despite 3-0 Start
A long season was expected for the Las Vegas Raiders, as they had last year’s No. 1 overall pick and hired a new head coach for the fourth time in the last four years. However, in three games, that outlook has drastically changed as the Raiders unexpectedly got off to a 3-0 start.
It was expected that Fernando Mendoza would be the starting quarterback heading into this season after being selected with the No.1 overall pick. Still, Kubiak opted to start Cousins over him, and the decision has paid off. Cousins became the first quarterback in NFL history age 38 or older to throw three passing touchdowns in each of his team’s first three games of the season.
After putting up strong numbers with the Minnesota Vikings for six straight seasons, Cousins’s time as a starting quarterback ended when the Atlanta Falcons benched him in his first season due to struggles. Then, in his second season, he was named the backup quarterback behind Michael Penix Jr. before being released in the offseason. He then joined the Raiders, won the starting job over Mendoza, and hasn’t looked back.
During Wednesday’s press conference, Cousins credited his hot start to his teammates for putting him in a great position to succeed.
“I go back to, kind of, I don’t get three touchdown passes in these games without our defense, you know, getting the ball back to us, giving us short fields, giving us extra possessions,” Cousins said. “So, it’s really a combination of a lot of factors.”
It will take a complete team effort for the Raiders to pull off the win over the Chiefs. For that reason, Kubiak emphasized during his press conference on Wednesday that they have to beat the Chiefs on all three phases of the game just like they’ve done in the past three games.
“Every week you’re working on your identity, and then someone takes away your identity, takes away something you’re good at,” Kubiak said. “So, you got to find multiple ways to win, and that’s what good teams do.”
Despite the Raiders’ 3-0 start, things will get significantly tougher for this team, as they have the second-hardest remaining schedule in the league. This makes it more important that the Raiders don’t get carried away by this hot start. That’s why Cousins and Kubiak stressed the importance of taking it one game at a time.
“They’re 17 separate challenges, and you just go out there and do the absolute best you can.” Cousins said. “Every game is a one-game Super Bowl, and this is the best of the best competing against each other every week,” Kubiak said.
In a divisional rivalry dominated by the Chiefs in recent years, Sunday offers the Raiders a huge opportunity to change that narrative. Las Vegas enters this matchup with plenty of momentum, something they haven’t had in recent meetings, and appears to have found an identity under Kubiak. A win over Kansas City would give the Raiders a chance to show their 3-0 start wasn’t a fluke and that they can compete in a loaded AFC Conference.
Prediction
Chiefs 27, Raiders 19
Main Image: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images
