When CBS Sports play-by-play man Jim Nantz called out Kansas City had generated just 18 total yards of offense with 30 seconds left in the third quarter, it was fortuitous foreshadowing for the Chiefs.
What ensued was an explosive play netting a touchdown and four series later, the visiting Chiefs got another chunk play resulting in another end zone visit. And after punching the ball out of Las Vegas Raiders kick returner Dareke Young, Kansas City found the end zone one play later. Yielding the two
explosive plays and the special teams gaffe sunk the home Raiders and the Chiefs reign supreme in the AFC West at 4-0 after a tightly contest 30-27 win this past Sunday.4
What could’ve been a runaway win Kansas City was thwarted by Las Vegas trailing 30-19 in the fourth quarter, but unlike the previous two matchups where takeaways powered the Silver & Black, it was the opposition that showcased more complementary football.
It’s the first defeat for Raiders rookie head coach Klint Kubiak — who proclaimed on the broadcast his team would win the game in a half time interview before the two teams went into the locker rooms at half time — and how his team develops and grows after this stinging loss will say a lot about this team going forward. Especially with his football team having a difficult schedule ahead of them.
As longtime NFL analyst Pete Prisco noted above, this isn’t a fugazi football team and what Kubiak is doing is not fluke. How he and his coaching staff pivot after film review from the loss is something many will be watching closely — under a microscope even.
Because yielding explosive plays on defense while not generating more of their own on offense can’t continue to happen, especially for a tough stretch of upcoming games that feature the New England Patriots (road), Buffalo Bills (home), Los Angeles Rams (home), and New York Jets (road) in the next four games.
Las Vegas will also need to rejuvenate a run game that’s been stymied. Perhaps watching the tape of how Walker carved up the defense will provide not only answers for Rob Leonard’s defense, but Kubiak’s offense?
Immediately after Nantz made note of the lack of offensive production, Walker took the hand off on the 1st-and-10 play from the Chiefs’ 11-yard line sprinted through a gaping hole for a 76-yard run. The reason it wasn’t a home run break away touchdown was because of the hustle from Raiders nickel cornerback Taron Johnson, who ran the tailback down.
Two plays later, quarterback Patrick Mahomes threw a dime to wide open wide receiver Tyquan Thornton to boost the Chiefs momentarily lead to 17-13. But Thornton wasn’t done there as he hauled in a 55-yard dime from Mahomes to set up a go-ahead two-yard touchdown run from Walker, 23-19 Chiefs.
Walker hit pay dirt again after the forced fumble and recovery on the ensuing kick off going around the Raiders defense for a 22-yard score and with 30-19 lead in hand and 3:02 left to play, Kansas City was comfortable.
Kubiak and his Raiders weren’t going to go away quietly and made it a game again after quarterback Kirk Cousins escaped a sack and lofted a 20-yard touchdown to tight end Brock Bowers to slash the deficit to 30-27.
The Las Vegas defense rose to the occasion to force a punt but the Raiders’ last gasp on offense ended with Cousins firing an interception on a play that Kubiak admitted he didn’t get quickly enough to his quarterback, hence its haphazard nature and turnover.
Let’s hit the quick slants as fast as both Walker and Thornton torched the Raiders defense on their respective big-play efforts:
—Losing by three points put Kubiak’s decision to go for it on 4th-and-2 instead of keeping the made field goal on the board in the third quarter under the spotlight. To his credit, the rookie’s aggressive decision is something to be done against the high-powered Chiefs, and Kubiak noted he didn’t regret the decision, just regretted the team couldn’t convert and turned the ball over.
—Bowers and fellow tight end Michael Mayer paced the Raiders air attack with six catches for 86 yards and a touchdown and eight receptions for 82 yards, respectively. Reserve tight end Ian Thomas hauled in the other touchdown — a beauty of a 27-yard pass from Cousins where Kubiak schemed the tight end wide open.
—While the tight ends produced 200 yards and two touchdowns on 16 receptions, the wide receivers didn’t produce as much. Tre Tucker had four grabs for 44 yards while Cody White had two receptions for 32 yards. Jeanty did haul in six passes for 68 yards, but the lack of a standout wideout is glaring.
—In the battle of quality punters, the Chiefs’ southpaw Matt Araiza outperformed the Raiders’ AJ Cole III with five boots for 238 yards and all five landing or downed inside Las Vegas’ 20-yard line. Cole had three punts for 142 yards with only one being downed or landing inside the Chiefs’ 20-yard line.
—Walker’s impressive 2026 season continued as he churned out 177 yards on 22 carries (8.0 yards per carry average) with two touchdowns.
—CBS Sports color analyst and likely future hall of fame defensive end J.J. Watt called out that Crosby was on the sideline during Walker’s long 76-yard run for a breather. And just like Watt noted, giving up that kind of explosive play with your best defender taking a rest likely is the catalyst for Crosby to once again play near 100 percent of snaps.
—In comparison, the Raiders’ entire run game rushed for 72 yards on 26 carries (2.8 yards per carry) with Ashton Jeanty leading the group with 58 yards on 15 carries. Rookie running back Mike Washington Jr. added 18 yards on 9 totes while fullback Connor Heyward had two carries for negative four yards.
Quotes of Note
“I took three points off the board, and we were going to be aggressive going into the game. I don’t regret it. I regret not getting it.”
—Las Vegas Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak on going for it on 4th-and-2 in the third quarter instead of taking the made field goal.
“That’s a good football team. You know they had a few people defensively come over for them. They added to the talent they had. The D line and secondary were playing together. That’s a good team. When Kirk’s dealing like that it’s hard to stop. And they have a guy like Brock Bowers. We have to keep getting better but I’m sure they will do the same.”
—Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes on the Las Vegas Raiders after the win.
Up Next
Las Vegas (3-1) preps for an East Coast trip to face New England (2-2) next Sunday. The Patriots head into Week 5 after a big win over the Buffalo Bills in their AFC East clash. The Raiders are 2-0 on the road so far this season and will need similar strong performances the team had at the Los Angeles Chargers and New Orleans Saints. Unlike the two previous away games, however, this is the first for the Silver & Black that’s an early 10 a.m. (Pacific Standard Time) matchup.
