The Kansas City Chiefs and Las Vegas Raiders have a lot riding on Week 4 of the 2026 NFL season. Both teams enter the AFC West showdown at Allegiant Stadium with a 3-0 record. The winner moves to 4-0 and grabs an early lead in the division, along with a leg up on the rest of the AFC.

The stakes differ, but are also similar for both sides. The Chiefs are looking to bounce back after a disappointing 2025 NFL season that saw them miss the playoffs for the first time since 2014. The Raiders are looking to get off to their best start since 2002 and get back to the playoffs for the first time since 2021. Winning the division is the starting point of any team with postseason aspirations, which is a big reason why this game will feel like a playoff atmosphere.

These two teams don’t like each other very much, and that’s nothing new. However, the Kansas City-Las Vegas rivalry has renewed energy heading into this one.

Chiefs embracing the challenge of a talented Raiders team

Chiefs HC Andy Reid spoke about the upcoming matchup during his Wednesday press conference. His excitement for a matchup between unbeaten AFC West clubs was palpable.

“Yeah, no, I think that’s great,” Reid said. “It’s great for the league. It’s great for the Raiders fans. They should be excited. You love that part of this. You love the challenge. That’s why we all do this thing and going against a good team. I mean, you put all this work and time in. You love going against a good team.”

The Chiefs have never shied away from a challenging opponent, but this game means more. These franchises share a long history of battles going back decades. The truth is, the Raiders haven’t been much of a threat on the field for quite some time. That makes this version of the rivalry feel different.

Las Vegas appears to have turned a corner. The addition of Raiders coach Klint Kubiak, combined with the moves the team made during the 2026 NFL offseason, has the Raiders looking like a legitimate contender in the AFC West. Through three weeks, the results back that up.

“Yeah, they’ve brought in a lot of guys that are really good football players, and they’ve added young, talented guys in there as well,” Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes said. “And so, obviously, it starts with (Raiders DE) Maxx (Crosby) and their defensive line and being able to protect and be able to run the ball and do stuff like that. But they have great players everywhere, and they fly to the football. And I think what you said is that they turned the football over, which is huge in this league, and so, we’ll have to match their intensity. We’ll have to execute at a high level, but it’ll be a great challenge for us, and we’re excited for it.”

For Kansas City, the opportunity to face a talented Las Vegas team is something to be excited about. A matchup between two undefeated division rivals is exactly the kind of early-season test that can reveal where a team stands. It’s a good sign that the Chiefs seem to be relishing it rather than dreading it.

Raiders DE Maxx Crosby knows what’s at stake in Week 4

The talk on the other side has a bit more intensity. For Las Vegas, everything the team has been hoping for and working toward starts with this game. They’re treating every week like it’s a mini-Super Bowl, but this one hits different.

“Pat Mahomes, (Travis) Kelce, all those guys,” Raiders DE Maxx Crosby said. “They’re great at what they do. So, (it’s a) division game; everyone knows what’s at stake and how important this game is. So, we’ve definitely got to work that out for us.”

The Chiefs have been the obstacle the Raiders couldn’t realistically get past for a long time. Kansas City has held a stranglehold over the AFC West, and that stretch of dominance has defined an era of the division. Beating the Chiefs isn’t just another win for the Raiders. It’s proof that the balance of power might finally be shifting.

According to Crosby, everybody on the team knows what’s at stake. Crosby said it will take an all-out effort from Las Vegas in Week 4. He knows that divisional games count for a bit more than the rest of the schedule. Games against the Chiefs? Those have a special cadence to them.

“It is war,” Crosby said. “You know that these are the games. You know, every game you circle every single game, and some games you might circle twice. Division games, you know, they count for a little bit more for sure. So, you know, there’s a lot of history there. It goes way back before even my time. Me and Pat (Mahomes) have had some great battles back and forth individually, and our teams as well. So, got a lot of respect for them. We know every time we see each other, we know what time it is, and I’m definitely looking forward to it.”

What this game means for the AFC West race

A 4-0 start would give cushion in the head-to-head standings, which is a big deal this early in the season. For the Chiefs, a win would go a long way toward putting the frustrations of 2025 in the rearview mirror. For the Raiders, a win would be a statement that this team is for real under Kubiak.

The question is whether Las Vegas is ready to take that step against the team that has owned the division. Kansas City has been in these types of games many times before. The Raiders are still out to prove something.

Either way, this is the most meaningful Chiefs-Raiders matchup in years. The rivalry has its edge back, and Week 4 at Allegiant Stadium should tell us a lot about how the AFC West race will unfold.