When the 2026 NFL season started, not many people would’ve guessed that the Week 4 meeting between the Las Vegas Raiders and Kansas City Chiefs would be between two undefeated teams, with the winner taking an early claim on first place in the AFC West.
However, that’s exactly what will happen on Sunday, with both teams entering the game at 3-0. Obviously, Kansas City being undefeated isn’t much of a shock to the NFL world, because the Chiefs were expected to come back with a vengeance after their disastrous season last year.
The Raiders, on the other hand, have been one of the early surprises of the season, as everyone wonders if this 3-0 start by Vegas should be taken seriously. One way the Raiders can get everyone to take them seriously is by beating Kansas City on Sunday.
Of course, that’s no easy task, but Las Vegas has one thing working in its favor that could help the team pull out a win: The Raiders have been great at forcing turnovers to start the season, and if that continues on Sunday, they’ll have a chance to be 4-0.
Raiders’ ability to force turnovers could help Las Vegas defeat the Chiefs
It’s no secret that Las Vegas has struggled against Kansas City in recent years. The Raiders did get a win over the Chiefs in Week 18 of last season, but that was a game played between backups. With Mahomes in the lineup, Kansas City is 13-2 against the Raiders.
The last time a Mahomes-led Chiefs team lost to Las Vegas was the Christmas day game in the 2023 season. The Raiders won that game 20-14, thanks to two defensive scores, as Jack Jones had his iconic pick-six and Bilal Nichols had a thick six.
Las Vegas hasn’t won the turnover battle against Mahomes and Kansas City since, and the Raiders haven’t beaten the Chiefs with the star quarterback under center either.
Entering Sunday’s game, though, Las Vegas is leading the NFL with nine total takeaways through three games. The Raiders have recorded four interceptions and recovered four fumbles. Las Vegas also has a league-high +5 turnover differential.
Kansas City, on the other hand, has been great at protecting the football to start the year. The Chiefs only have two turnovers after three games, and both were interceptions thrown by Mahomes, one in Week 1 and one in Week 2.
If the Raiders can find a way to force the Chiefs to give them the ball, while doing everything else they’ve been doing to start the season, the Raiders should beat Mahomes and the Chiefs and move to 4-0.
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