The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-0, but they face their toughest test so far against the Kansas City Chiefs.
The Las Vegas Raiders are 3-0, but they’re facing all kinds of questions about whether they’re for real. They get to answer those questions on Sunday, though, when they host the 3-0 Kansas City Chiefs and try to prove their record isn’t a fluke based on some low-hanging fruit on their early schedule.
This has suddenly become a marquee game, with the resurgent Raiders playing good football under new coach Klint Kubiak. Kubiak is using Kirk Cousins as his game manager while rookie QB Fernando Mendoza gets developed in the background, and Cousins’ success has silenced the speculation about when Mendoza will be thrown into the breach as the new starter.
Succeeding against the Chiefs will be a different matter entirely, though, as quarterback Patrick Mahomes is playing well after offseason knee surgery and running back Kenneth Walker III has been an absolute hammer as both a runner and receiver.
That’s the challenge the Raiders will be facing, and tackling will be a big issue for Las Vegas. Walker specializes in sidestepping tacklers and getting out in space, and if that happens on Sunday it’s going to be a very long day for the Raiders.
Las Vegas does have one big weapon, though, and that’s tight end Brock Bowers, who showed out against the New Orleans Saints last week with 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown in a performance reminiscent of his superb rookie season.
Kubiak used Bowers as a chess piece last week, moving him around the formation and using second tight end Michael Mayer to create favorable matchups. It worked against the Saints, but New Orleans also gifted the game to the Raiders with four consecutive fourth-quarter turnovers as Las Vegas posted a 35-27 win.
The Raiders will need someone else to step up to help Bowers, as the running game has been close to inert for the last two weeks, and the receivers are marginal beyond deep threat Tre Tucker. It would be nice to see Jaylen Nailor finally step up and have a big game, as the Raiders gave him a big contract to fill the void and become a No. 1 receiver.
Protecting Cousins will be another important part of this game for Las Vegas. The 38-year old quarterback has taken some big shots so far, and Chiefs defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo will undoubtedly dial up some blitzes the Raiders haven’t seen before as Las Vegas tries to prove that gaudy 3-0 record is genuine.
