Discipline is the common denominator for the AFC West teams fighting for first place in Las Vegas on Sunday.
The Raiders (3-0) average an NFL-low 30 penalty yards per game and haven’t allowed a single point in the fourth quarter this season. Another win and the Raiders surpass their 2025 victory total (3-14).
The Kansas City Chiefs (3-0) are asking less of quarterback Patrick Mahomes while riding Kenneth Walker and a newfound commitment to the running game to counter a heavy dose of deep zone defenses. Kansas City also is closing at a winning clip, outscoring opponents 28-7 in the fourth quarter. The Chiefs were 6-11 last season, including a 14-12 defeat at Las Vegas in the regular-season finale.
But Mahomes, 13-2 in his career against the Raiders, missed that game and Travis Kelce was held to three receptions with Chris Oladokun playing quarterback.
The duo’s dominance of the Raiders gives context to first-year coach Klint Kubiak shifting his team’s focus to Kansas City immediately after last week’s win.
“Mahomes, Kelce … they are great at what they do,” Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby said. “We’ve got guys that are hungry. It is war. You circle every single game, some games you might circle twice. Me and Pat had some great battles.”
His sterling record in the series is not a surprise when you break down Mahomes’ numbers against the Raiders. He has averaged 295.1 yards with 36 touchdown passes in 15 games.
Adding Walker has presented a conundrum for defensive coordinators. But if anyone has the intel to slow Walker’s flow, it’s the Raiders. He was the centerpiece of the Seahawks’ offensive attack deployed by Kubiak — then as Seattle’s offensive coordinator — in the 2025 playoffs.
“He’s extremely shifty — he’s quick and fast — he has great vision and patience as a runner,” Crosby said of Walker. “The Chiefs made a great decision by getting a guy like that.”
For a bit more context on Kansas City’s ownership of the rivalry: Chiefs coach Andy Reid currently is tied for most coaching wins at Allegiant Stadium. He’s 6-1 — 5-1 against the Raiders and a Super Bowl victory — and facing a sixth different head coach in the Raiders’ seven seasons in Las Vegas.
Kubiak is 1-0 at home, but Reid is 21-5 against the Raiders since joining the Chiefs. Reid and Mahomes both said history isn’t relevant this week and the Raiders roll into Sunday undefeated for a reason.
“They’re playing great football. That 3-0 record is real,” Mahomes said. “For us, it’s another step, another challenge that we have to go up there and match.”
The Raiders might be equipped to keep pace with Mahomes for the first time in years. Like the Chiefs, the Raiders are averaging 29.3 points per game. Las Vegas leads the NFL in drives of at least 10 plays.
Crosby could be the one player willing to speak openly about the importance within his locker room of getting to 4-0.
But Kubiak was caught on camera stoking his locker room to be ready for this matchup. On Wednesday he attempted to reframe the fight for first place in the division.
“Thank God our team, we take every game in that same manner. Every game is a one-game Super Bowl,” Kubiak said. “This should be no different than Week 1 or Week 17.”
This is the first matchup in Week 4 or later between undefeated teams averaging at least 29 points per game in six seasons (Arizona at the Rams in Week 4, 2021).
Kirk Cousins has thrived under Kubiak and is the only NFL quarterback with three TD passes in every game this season. The evolution of 2025 first-rounder Ashton Jeanty as a receiver — he leads the team with 13 receptions and two TD catches — and the Week 3 return of tight end Brock Bowers from knee surgery are reasons to believe the Raiders might be back in the “buy stock” category. Bowers had 10 receptions for 116 yards and a touchdown last week.
“Belief is a superpower,” Raiders linebacker Nakobe Dean said. “We wanna win every game.”
Kelce needs six receptions to reach 1,100 in his career and join Tony Gonzalez and Jason Witten, the only other tight ends to ever hit that mark.
The Raiders last began a season 4-0 in 2002, when they lost in Super Bowl XXXVII to the Buccaneers. The Chiefs were 4-0 to start the 2024 season when they finished 15-2 but lost the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles.
No Chiefs missed practice on Wednesday with the exception of left tackle Josh Simmons (back). Reid said Simmons’ situation is “moving in the right direction” while recovering from a bulging disc. Cornerback L’Jarius Sneed was limited with a knee injury.
Center Jackson Powers-Johnson (groin) was the only player not practicing for Las Vegas on Wednesday. Aidan O’Connell remains unavailable for personal reasons.
