It’s time for the Arrowhead Pride staff to put their opinions to the test. Before the Kansas City Chiefs travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders, our writers predicted the final score and result.
For the second consecutive week, the Chiefs will play at a venue where quarterback Patrick Mahomes has delivered a Super Bowl win. This time, the action unfolds at Allegiant Stadium — the site of Super Bowl LVIII. Kansas City currently sits as 4.5-point road favorites according to FanDuel Sportsbook. Few expected
this Week 4 matchup to be a showdown between two of the NFL’s five remaining undefeated teams.
The Chiefs dominated the Raiders in a Week 7 home matchup last season. They closed 2025 battered and broken and dropped the season finale to the Raiders at Allegiant.
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Jared Sapp (@TrumanChief)
This will easily be the most hyped matchup in the Chiefs vs. Raiders rivalry in my years covering the team. The job Klint Kubiak has done through his first month on the job should be lauded.
I expect the Raiders to play hard and give this moment their best shot. I also think both teams have the tools to exploit the opposing defense. The Raiders can frustrate Steve Spagnuolo’s crew with multiple tight ends that can be dangerous from the slot and a running back that can keep them out of obvious pass rush situations. The middle of the Las Vegas defense can be spotty, however, and I expect Kenneth Walker to have a big day knowing the Week 5 bye is ahead of him.
I expect a high-scoring game where the Chiefs’ experience in winning close contests will show.
Chiefs 34, Raiders 31
Caleb James (@CJScoobs)
This game will end up holding quite a bit of weight at the end of the season if things continue going the way they have for each team. The Raiders are not perfect, but they are playing good football under a new coaching staff and, most importantly, finding ways to win games. They rely heavily on turnovers defensively, and offensively they rely heavily on Klint Kubiak’s offensive scheme, which is centered around a quick passing attack and solid ground game.
The Chiefs are the more talented team, but the Raiders will come out on fire in front of their home crowd in this game. Offensively, the Chiefs will likely continue to lean on Kenneth Walker as well as the play-action passing attack to move the ball, which in turn should keep Patrick Mahomes firing at a high clip.
Ball security will be at a premium for both teams.
Chiefs 35, Raiders 21
Mark Gunnels (@MarkAGunnels)
I think the Raiders are legit, but this is where the Chiefs remind everybody who still runs the AFC West. Kansas City has the No. 2 offense in football right now, Ken Walker is leading the league in rushing, and Mahomes has been dealing. The Raiders can get after the quarterback, but I trust Andy Reid and Mahomes to have an answer for Maxx Crosby, and I trust the Chiefs’ defense way more than I trust Kirk Cousins in a game this big. Give me KC to go into Vegas, hand the Raiders their first loss, and move to 4-0.
Chiefs 31, Raiders 20
Maurice Elston (@MrMauriceElston)
It has been a while since a Chiefs-Raiders matchup carried this much weight this early in the season. Both teams enter Week 4 at 3-0, and Las Vegas has been one of the league’s biggest surprises. I expect a tough battle, with Maxx Crosby presenting another major test for rookie left tackle Kahlil Benson. Denver already challenged him, but keeping Crosby from disrupting Patrick Mahomes will be critical. On the other side, Brock Bowers returned last week with 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown. Steve Spagnuolo will need a coverage plan that keeps him from exploiting mismatches against Kansas City’s linebackers and safeties.
Ultimately, I don’t think the Raiders have enough depth to beat the Chiefs. If Kansas City keeps building around the running game and play-action, it can keep Las Vegas’ defense guessing and give Mahomes opportunities to attack. I expect big games from both Mahomes and Travis Kelce, with Kelce reminding everyone that he still belongs among the league’s best tight ends in his 14th season. Containing Bowers will be the biggest defensive key. Both teams will put points on the board, but I trust Kansas City to make more plays when it matters.
Chiefs 35, Raiders 24
Matt Stagner (@stagdsp)
This one could be fun. It’s been a long time since we could call the Raiders an actual ‘rival’. They simply haven’t been on the same level. But perhaps the tide is turning with the trio of Kirk Cousins, Ashton Jeanty, and Brock Bowers. Clint Kubiak has these guys playing some decent ball. Meanwhile, the Chiefs have reinvented themselves and look tough to beat– and haven’t peaked yet. Kenneth Walker has been a game changer– if he keeps this up, it’s an OPOY-type season. I would say MVP, but that award may be spoken for. Patrick Mahomes is absolutely thriving on play action and getting the ball deep down the field. The young defense has had more ups than downs, and they’re getting healthier. There’s no way I’m picking against KC this week.
Chiefs 31, Raiders 24
Dakota Watson (@D_Watson56)
It’s Raiiiiiiiiders week. And finally one to be excited about. This rivalry is just better when both teams have something to play for.
The Raiders are one of the major surprises of the NFL season. Unfortunately, many of their team strengths play great against the weaknesses of the Chiefs. Brock Bowers will likely have a fantastic day against the Chiefs’ linebackers and secondary, but the Chiefs will be able to contain Ashton Jeanty and their receivers.
I see this one being competitive throughout. Ultimately, the Chiefs’ big game experience serves them well, and they come out on top. But this Raiders team is ascending, and this could be the beginning of the rivalry renewed.
Chiefs 27, Raiders 21
Rocky Magana (@RockyMagana)
I’d rather eat Creed Humphrey’s jockstrap than pick against the Chiefs on Raider week. Luckily, I think the Chiefs are still the better team. Our offensive tackles will have their work cut out for them as they always do when facing off against Maxx Crosby. On the offensive side of the ball, the Raiders have Ashton Jeanty and Brock Bowers, but the Chiefs have a good counterpunch with Kenneth Walker and Travis Kelce. What the Raiders don’t have is the cornerbacks the Chiefs have, and most important of all, number 15, the greatest quarterback of all time, and who is playing the best football of his life coming into this game.
I think this is the week the Raiders turn into a pumpkin and come out looking worse than Mark Davis’ hair.
Chiefs 31, Raiders 13
Nate Christensen
This is an exciting game. There hasn’t been a Chiefs-Raiders game with these stakes since probably 2016, when the Chiefs pulled away from the Raiders to win the AFC West.
The Raiders’ 3-0 record is probably misleading, but they are definitely a competent team. Kirk Cousins is running Klint Kubiak’s offense well, and now that Brock Bowers is back, they have a legit weapon in the passing game. Ashton Jeanty can maul over any defender.
The Raiders defense has also played02 better than expected after a phenomenal start of the year from Maxx Crosby and good free agent additions at linebacker with Quay Walker and Nakobe Dean.
I expect the Raiders to keep this game competitive, but I think the Chiefs still have more talent top-to-bottom and will win a close game.
Chiefs 27, Raiders 20
Ron Kopp Jr. (@RonOnChiefs)
It feels good to be excited about a matchup with the team that feels like the definition of a “rival” for the Chiefs when history and fandom is all accounted for.
Beyond that, the matchups on the field are very intriguing. It feels like a less-mobile quarterback like Kirk Cousins could be the recipe for success the Chiefs’ defense needs, but he also could be finding tight ends Brock Bowers and Michael Mayer quickly, two players at positions Kansas City struggles to defend at times.
On the flip side, the Raiders’ defense could give the Chiefs their toughest battle yet — especially since Denver didn’t have three games to understand the new-look Kansas City offense. I see a low-scoring game going the Chiefs’ way, with quarterback play as the difference.
Chiefs 23, Raiders 20
2026 Standings
The AP panel widely predicted a comfortable Week 3 victory for Kansas City. Despite some frustrating moments, it is hard to call covering a 10-point spread and holding an opponent to only three second-half points anything but comfortable. All nine staffers on the panel did correctly predict the Chiefs would win. Jared Sapp (27-16), Maurice Elston (30-13), Dakota Watson (30-14), and Nate Christiansen (30-10) all turned in predictions with 12 points of error.
81% of our readers predicted a comfortable Chiefs victory.
*To calculate a prediction’s points of error, the differences between the prediction and the actual score in point spread, home team score, and away team score are added together. For example, a prediction calls for a 17-10 Chiefs win. They end up winning 16-10, so there were two points of error: the point spread was off by one point, the Kansas City score missed by one point, and the opponent’s score was predicted correctly. But if the Chiefs lose the game 17-10, there were 28 points of error in the prediction: the point spread was off by 14 (the difference between +7 and -7), and both scores were off by 7.
