Why Brooke picked the Raiders: Two of the five remaining undefeateds reside in the AFC West, and who thought the Raiders would be one? (Put your hand down.) They face their toughest opponent to date in the Chiefs, whose offense continues to steadily improve with Eric Bieniemy back as OC — SEE: a much-improved run game led by the NFL’s leading rusher, Kenneth Walker III, with Patrick Mahomes leveling back up to his MVP-caliber standards — and whose defense is a top-five overall and scoring unit. I believe these Raiders are up for the challenge. Kirk Cousins is jibing with Klint Kubiak’s scheme, throwing three TDs in each game this season, and plays well against man coverage, which Steve Spagnuolo’s defense runs on 37.6 percent of dropbacks (fifth-most in the NFL). Per Next Gen Stats, Cousins has six pass TDs, zero INTs and a 126.2 passer rating vs. man this season, while recording three pass TDs, three INTs and an 85.2 passer rating vs. zone coverage. Cousins has time to deal with the way his O-line is playing (five sacks allowed through three games), but the Raiders need Week 3 AFC Offensive Player of the Week Brock Bowers and Ashton Jeanty to show up in a big way. Las Vegas leads the league with a +5 turnover differential, and defensively, the team is tied for fourth in sacks. But the Raiders must limit Walker — that’s a huge key to this game. This is the most inspiring the Raiders have looked in eons, and though the Chiefs might be the more experienced of the two, Vegas’ newfound confidence — and the energy the Black Hole will bring to Allegiant Stadium on Sunday — will be just enough to eke out a W, giving the franchise more wins heading into Week 5 than it managed in the entire 2025 season.
