LAS VEGAS — The Kansas City Chiefs outlasted the Las Vegas Raiders 30-27 at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday in Week 4, handing Klint Kubiak's team its first loss of the season to drop to 3-1 while Kansas City improved to 4-0. Las Vegas nearly pulled off a second straight late double-digit comeback but fell short in a game with serious playoff-game vibes that showed the 3-0 start was not built only on beating bad teams.
The fourth quarter decided it. Las Vegas entered leading the NFL with nine takeaways and had outscored its first three opponents 22-0 in the fourth quarter, but Kansas City flipped both trends. The Raiders did not force a takeaway and committed two turnovers in the fourth quarter — after getting four takeaways in the fourth last week — while the Chiefs scored right away in the period and outscored Las Vegas 20-14. Kenneth Walker, in his first look in a Chiefs uniform, was the star with 177 rushing yards on 22 carries and two scores, including a 76-yard run on the final play of the third quarter that turned the game in Kansas City's favor.
Kirk Cousins kept Las Vegas in it despite constant pressure. The 38-year-old was hit often but not sacked and threw for 365 yards and two touchdown passes to reach 11 on the season. The passing game revolved around tight ends Brock Bowers — who played despite being ill — Michael Mayer and Ian Thomas, who combined for 16 catches for 200 yards and two touchdowns, including Thomas' first score in six years on a long strike from Cousins after Las Vegas stopped a perfect Chiefs fake punt and then stuffed Kansas City on fourth-and-1 at the Las Vegas 49. The run game struggled to 72 yards, with Ashton Jeanty — still dealing with ankle issues — at 58 yards on 19 carries plus 68 yards on six catches and rookie Mike Washington at 18 yards on nine carries, a ground-game issue Kubiak said after the game is vital to figure out. Las Vegas got to Patrick Mahomes for two sacks behind Maxx Crosby, though Mahomes hurt the Raiders with deep passes.
Discipline and special teams held mostly steady. Las Vegas entered leading the NFL in fewest penalty yards at 90 and was flagged six times for 30 yards to Kansas City's eight for 59. Free-agent kicker Matt Gay stayed perfect, going 4-for-4 to move to 10-for-10 on the season, after an early second-half sequence where Las Vegas converted a 41-yard field goal to make it 16-10 but took the points off the board when a Chiefs penalty gave Kubiak fourth-and-2 at the Kansas City 18 — a failed attempt Kubiak said he did not regret in the eventual three-point loss. Returner Dylan Laube added a 53-yard kick return in the fourth quarter and leads the NFL with a 33.4-yard average, and the defense extended its streak to seven straight games without allowing a score on an opponent's opening drive, the second-longest current streak in the NFL and the first time Las Vegas has opened 4-0 without allowing an opening-drive score since 2018. Travis Kelce was contained to two catches for 15 yards after surpassing Raiders Pro Football Hall of Famer Tim Brown for seventh all-time at 1,094 catches, while free-agent addition Kwity Paye was quiet after a strong Week 1 and did not appear on the initial post-game stat sheet.
Kansas City lost receiver Rashee Rice to a hamstring injury in the first quarter in Chiefs' Rashee Rice Exits Early With Hamstring Injury in Win. Las Vegas also lost receiver Jalen Nailor to a concussion with Jack Bech and Dont'e Thornton already on injured reserve, leaving the tight ends to carry the passing game and fueling rumors of a receiver trade before the Nov. 10 deadline. The sea of red at Allegiant Stadium was expected for a Chiefs visit, but Las Vegas returns home in two weeks to face the Buffalo Bills for Buffalo's first game in Las Vegas with fans allowed — another test for a Raiders crowd that often battles takeovers.