Mahomes is 13-2 against the Raiders. He's thrown more touchdowns against Las Vegas than against any other opponent. Kansas City has spent years sitting on top of the AFC West while the Raiders cycled through quarterbacks, coaches, coordinators, rebuilds and whatever the hell else you want to call the last decade.

So congratulations, Kansas City.

You kicked the shit out of a dysfunctional franchise.

Now try beating this one.

Because the Raiders walking into Allegiant Stadium on Sunday aren't 1-2 hoping Maxx Crosby can single-handedly keep the game respectable.

They're 3-0.

Kansas City is 3-0.

And for the first time in the history of this rivalry, the Raiders and Chiefs are meeting with both teams sitting at 3-0 or better.

Suddenly Raiders Week doesn't look quite as relaxing.

Chiefs Fans Wanted The Rivalry To Matter Again

Well, here you go.

You can't spend years saying:

"The Raiders aren't our rivals anymore."

Then start sweating the second Vegas actually builds a competent football team.

This is what a rivalry looks like.

Two undefeated teams.

First place in the AFC West sitting on the table.

Maxx Crosby chasing Patrick Mahomes.

Brock Bowers in the middle of the field.

Ashton Jeanty in the backfield.

Klint Kubiak on the sideline.

And an Allegiant Stadium crowd that has an opportunity to remind Kansas City that the giant Death Star in the desert actually belongs to the Raiders.

No rebuild excuses.

No moral victories.

No "we're a year away."

Let's play football.

Kansas City Has The Résumé. Nobody Is Arguing That.

Here's the part Chiefs fans desperately want Raiders fans to avoid:

Kansas City is still really damn good.

Their offense is averaging 416.3 yards per game through three weeks, second in the NFL. Patrick Mahomes has thrown for 812 yards and seven touchdowns. Kenneth Walker III leads the league with 360 rushing yards.

Nobody needs to manufacture disrespect toward the Chiefs.

They've earned respect.

But respect isn't fear.

And there's a pretty important distinction between:

"Kansas City has been better than us."

and

"Kansas City will always be better than us."

Chiefs fans have spent so long living in the second sentence that they've forgotten the first one is the only thing history actually guarantees.

Dynasties don't receive lifetime subscriptions.

Divisions don't come with permanent owners.

Eventually somebody walks through the door and starts breaking furniture.

The Raiders finally look interested in being that team.

And Kansas City Already Got The Warning

January 4, 2026.

Raiders 14.

Chiefs 12.

Las Vegas won the last meeting between these teams.

Was it some franchise-changing masterpiece?

No.

Does it erase years of Kansas City beating the Raiders?

Obviously not.

But that's exactly why it matters.

For years, almost every Raiders-Chiefs conversation started with the assumption that Kansas City would eventually figure it out.

Close game?

Mahomes will figure it out.

Raiders lead?

Mahomes will figure it out.

Fourth quarter?

Mahomes will figure it out.

The Raiders finally made him leave without figuring it out.

And now Kansas City gets another shot against a Raiders team that looks significantly more dangerous than the one it faced last season.

The Funniest Possible Outcome Is Sitting Right There

Imagine this for a second.

All offseason:

"Raiders are rebuilding."

"Kirk Cousins is washed."

"Klint Kubiak won't fix that franchise."

"Vegas isn't ready for the AFC West."

Three weeks later:

3-0.

Now the Chiefs come to Las Vegas.

And if the Raiders win?

Ohhhhh boy.

We're going to have to start hearing some fascinating explanations.

Kansas City had injuries.

The Chiefs beat themselves.

Turnovers aren't sustainable.

It's only Week 4.

The Raiders got lucky.

The refs.

The turf.

Mercury was in retrograde.

Anything except the four words that would physically pain Chiefs Twitter to type:

The Raiders are good.

That's what makes Sunday so much fun.

The Raiders aren't playing for a participation trophy anymore.

They're playing for the right to force the entire league to have an extremely uncomfortable conversation Monday morning.

Maxx Crosby Has Heard Enough

If there's one Raider who doesn't need this rivalry explained to him, it's Maxx Crosby.

He's spent years being the face of a defense trying to hunt Mahomes while Kansas City collected division titles.

Now the Raiders finally appear to have some help around him.

Las Vegas enters Week 4 with nine takeaways and 10 sacks, generating pressure without having to sell out with constant blitzes.

That's important because Mahomes has made a career out of murdering desperation.

Send everybody?

He finds the open man.

Play scared?

He takes eight yards at a time until you're dead.

The best chance against Kansas City has always been making Mahomes uncomfortable while keeping enough bodies behind the rush to punish the improvisation.

For once, the Raiders might actually have the personnel to attempt it.

And if Crosby gets Mahomes running Sunday afternoon?

Allegiant Stadium might become an extremely unpleasant place to wear red.

There's One Thing Raiders Fans Need To Handle

Speaking of Allegiant Stadium:

Do not let that building turn red.

Chiefs fans travel.

Everyone knows it.

And Raiders fans have complained for years about opposing crowds taking over Allegiant.

Fine.

Sunday isn't the day for excuses.

You're 3-0.

You're playing Kansas City.

First place is on the line.

There might not be a more meaningful Raiders home game in years.

If Raider Nation wants this rivalry back, act like it.

Wear black.

Get loud.

Make Kansas City use the silent count.

Make every third down miserable.

For one afternoon, make Allegiant Stadium feel like the place it was supposed to be when the Raiders moved to Las Vegas.

Kansas City Wanted A Rival.

Be careful what you ask for.

Nobody is claiming three wins erase what Kansas City has accomplished.

Nobody is pretending the Raiders suddenly own the division.

That's what makes Sunday perfect.

Kansas City still has the crown.

The Raiders finally have a reason to reach for it.

And Chiefs fans can laugh at Vegas, bring up the rings, post the head-to-head record and remind everybody what Mahomes has done to this franchise.

They should.

That's rivalry shit talk.

Just understand the arrangement has changed.

The Raiders aren't walking into Sunday asking whether they belong on the same field anymore.

They're walking in undefeated.

Kansas City is walking in undefeated.

One of them is leaving without a zero.

So enjoy the history lesson, Chiefs Kingdom.

Enjoy the Super Bowl graphics.

Enjoy 13-2.

Enjoy every screenshot from the years when the Raiders couldn't get out of their own way.

Seriously.

Get all of it out now.

Because if the Raiders beat Kansas City on Sunday and move to 4-0?

Raiders fans are going to become absolutely fucking insufferable.

And after the last ten years?

We've earned at least one week of it.

Just win, baby.