The Las Vegas Raiders lost to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday, but they left that game looking like a legitimately competitive football team.

Kansas City put up 30 points, yet seven of those were handed over by a Raiders returner. If you take that sequence away, Las Vegas was the better offense for most of the day.

That matters because this game was the heat check for the Raiders. They were a fun story through the first three weeks, and the Chiefs were the first real measuring stick. At this point, it doesn’t feel like this is a flash in the pan.

Raiders offense outplayed the Chiefs

Kirk Cousins was the story at quarterback. He finished 31-of-52 for 365 yards, and the Raiders offense outgained the Chiefs by roughly 40 yards. Las Vegas also piled up 10 more first downs than Kansas City. That production came against a Chiefs defense that is better than what the Raiders have on that side of the ball.

Brock Bowers was dealing with a lingering lower-body issue and an illness, and he still put together a huge afternoon. Michael Mayer was right there with him. It was a dual tight end showing for the ages, and it shouldn’t be a surprise to anyone.

After what Raiders head coach Klint Kubiak did with the Seahawks last season, it was clear he would find creative ways to use multiple tight ends.

The rest of the passing game keeps finding ways to contribute. Tre Tucker continues to be a useful piece, and Cody White keeps stepping up in key moments. White is now on the active roster rather than simply earning practice squad call-ups. The receiving corps as a whole still isn’t anything special, but the tight ends are carrying a lot of the load.

Las Vegas did all of this without much of a running game. The Chiefs did a tremendous job bottling up Ashton Jeanty, and he was not very efficient. I don’t think that is indicative of what this team is, so winning in different ways when the run game stalls is a very real positive.

What it means for Fernando Mendoza

Going into the season, it felt like we would see maybe five or six games of Cousins before the Raiders turned things over to rookie Fernando Mendoza. That thinking has shifted.

The more this team plays the way it has, the less likely it becomes that we see much of Mendoza. That timeline is getting pushed back without question. Easton Freeze went even further, arguing that Mendoza may not play a snap all season long.

The Jets game is the one we circled as a potential entry point for the rookie. Right now, it is hard to see Kubiak making a change with Cousins playing like this. On top of that, Cousins threw the ball 52 times against Kansas City, so the coaching staff clearly trusts him to carry the offense.

Why I’m not buying a playoff team yet

Here’s the thing about the Raiders. They are playing with crazy energy, and there’s real worst-to-first potential in this group. Las Vegas is 3-1 and sits second in its division after barely losing to the Chiefs.

Freeze believes this is a playoff team and that Kubiak has Coach of the Year potential written all over him. I can’t get there just yet. Las Vegas still lacks talent in a few different spots, and I just don’t buy the sustainability over a full season.

The schedule doesn’t help.

The Raiders face the Patriots, Bills, and Rams over the next three weeks. There’s a chance they are sitting at 3-4 when that stretch ends, and it isn’t a small one. After the Jets, the road gets tough again with the 49ers, Seahawks, and Broncos on the docket.

Passing a test against the Chiefs in a loss is one thing. Turning that into a postseason run is another.

None of that takes away from what Kubiak is building. I think he could be the real deal, and the core in Las Vegas carries a lot of promise.

If the Raiders come out of the next three games in good shape, the playoff conversation becomes very real, and the Coach of the Year talk will follow. We will know a lot more about this team by the time the Jets come to town.