At long last, Sunday has come.
The Las Vegas Raiders' matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs should be a great one, as the two 3-0 teams are battling for sole possession of first place in the AFC West through the first quarter of the season. And this game will say a lot about just how far along the Silver and Black are.
Klint Kubiak's team has surprised a lot of people, but beating the Chiefs would be the biggest shock of them all. Analysts and fans can twist themselves into a pretzel and justify why the Raiders' other three wins weren't impressive or valid, but people can't walk back their Kansas City hype. This is it.
Before all the action takes place on Sunday, let's get you oriented or caught up on everything going on. Check out the rest of the article to figure out how to watch, injury reports for both teams, the biggest storylines and what the experts are saying about this matchup.
- How to watch Raiders vs. Chiefs in Week 4
- Raiders injury report for Week 4
- Chiefs injury report for Week 4
- Biggest Raiders storylines heading into Week 4
- Predictions for Raiders vs. Chiefs in Week 4
How to watch Raiders vs. Chiefs in Week 4
- Date: Sunday, Oct. 4
- Time: 1:25 p.m. PT
- TV Network: CBS
- Announcers: Jim Nantz (play-by-play), J.J. Watt (color), Tracy Wolfson (sideline reporter)
As usual, the Raiders play in the afternoon window on Sunday. But for the first time this year they'll get the top analyst group in Nantz, Watt and Wolfson. That means that this game is held in high regard and more eyes will be on it, in a way, which is like earning a bigger game at this point.
Raiders injury report for Week 4
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Jackson Powers-Johnson | RG | Groin | OUT |
Aidan O'Connell | QB | NIR - Personal | - |
Treydan Stukes | SAF | Concussion | - |
Brock Bowers | TE | Knee | - |
Ashton Jeanty | RB | Ankle | - |
Only one change from Saturday's news roundup: O'Connell no longer has a game designation, which means that he will play on Sunday, or at least be available. Welcome back, AOC.
Chiefs injury report for Week 4
Player | Position | Injury | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
Josh Simmons | LT | Back | OUT |
L'Jarius Sneed | CB | Knee | - |
The Chiefs are remarkably healthy, as they get back starting safety Chamarri Conner and will only be missing Simmons, who they haven't had all year anyway.
Biggest Raiders storylines heading into Week 4
Treydan Stukes' return should patch up back end of Raiders' defense
Stukes missed last week, and it was obvious how bad Las Vegas missed him. With the rookie back in the fold, the Raiders' defense should be much better, particularly on the back end and near the red zone. Isaiah Pola-Mao gave up a few big gains and three touchdowns last week in Stukes' absence.
This will be particularly important against a Kansas City team with Patrick Mahomes at quarterback, who can make defenses pay deep. The Chiefs also have a smattering of very fast, big-play receivers, so Stukes needs to bring his "A" game in his return.
Caleb Rogers gets an opportunity to start at right guard
With Jackson Powers-Johnson sidelined due to a groin injury, Rogers is in line to start on Sunday. Kubiak has said repeatedly that, although Rogers lost his closely contested battle with Powers-Johnson to start at right guard, both were "starters" in the NFL. We will see on Sunday.
Rogers certainly doesn't have an easy task at hand, as Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones is playing at a high level yet again. Obviously, one matchup won't determine everything for Rogers, but he has a chance to change his fortunes in Las Vegas with a big showing.
It's all about the run game, on both sides of the ball
The Raiders, after a strong outing in Week 1, have not been able to get their run game going. If they can't lean on the ground attack, that severely inhibits their ability to move the ball downfield. The team has also struggled quite a bit against the run this year, although the stats don't fully show it.
Both of these aspects of the game will be tested, as the Chiefs are about league average, but slightly better, at defending the run, and one of the most elite rushing offenses. Las Vegas will need to bring its best. Otherwise, this one could get ugly.
Predictions for Raiders vs. Chiefs in Week 4
ESPN Experts
Ben Solak - Raiders
Jason Reid - Chiefs
Seth Wickersham - Chiefs
Matt Bowen - Chiefs
Dan Graziano - Chiefs
Mike Clay - Chiefs
Jeremy Fowler - Chiefs
Pamela Maldonado - Chiefs
Eric Moody - Chiefs
Lindsey Thiry - Chiefs
Kalyn Kahler - Chiefs
NFL Media
Bucky Brooks - Raiders
Brooke Cersosimo - Raiders
Brandon Perna - Raiders
Kevin Patra - Raiders
Lance Zierlein - Raiders
Colleen Wolfe - Chiefs
Grant Gordon - Chiefs
Tom Grossi - Chiefs
Nick Shook - Chiefs
Dan Parr - Chiefs
Bleacher Report
Wes O'Donnell - Raiders
Brett Sobleski - Raiders
Gary Davenport - Chiefs
Moe Moton - Chiefs
Kritsopher Knox - Chiefs
Ian Hanford - Chiefs
Brad Gagnon - Chiefs
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