Chiefs On SI Mailbag: What's Real from the Undefeated Raiders?

After defeating the Miami Dolphins on Sunday, the Kansas City Chiefs are 3-0 and will now turn their attention to the also-undefeated Las Vegas Raiders for a showdown in the desert this weekend.

How much did we learn about the Chiefs in Miami, and what should we be expecting in Vegas? That's what's on the docket in this week's Chiefs On SI mailbag, where we take your questions from @chiefs_kcsn on Twitter/X and @jbbrisco.com on Bluesky.

Was this past week's performance against Miami more a reflection of the Chiefs not being as good as we thought, or this just an "any given Sunday" league (i.e. Commanders, Browns, and Steelers win)? -@ReidsNuggies

Over the last several years, I think I have become increasingly concerned with game results and less concerned with things like the comfort of a victory. Dominant blowouts are ideal, certainly, but as you set up here, I'm sure that the Packers, Chargers, Panthers, Texans, Cowboys, Patriots and Rams—all teams with one or zero wins so far this year—would have killed for an unflattering victory or two.

I went more in-depth on this idea in yesterday's column, but the league's most precious resource isn't vibes or point differential; it's victories. Even when they're ugly, they buy you time to fix your issues as the long season rolls on.

Is it alarming that the Chiefs' pass rush couldn't sack Malik Willis at all after he was brought down nine times in his first two games with the Dolphins? Absolutely. Will we remember that box score if the Chiefs go 13-4 and have more consistent pressure in January? I don't think so.

Can we slow down Bowers with our current secondary and Crosby with our current O-Line? -@EthanCo67716681 | Can the Chiefs stop Brock Bowers? Can the Raiders stop Kenneth Walker? -@benhemp.bsky.social

"Stop?" Probably not! But they'll try.

For both teams, I think Ben has identified the first thing that each defense will try to take away. Tight end Brock Bowers returned with a vengance in his first game of 2026, with 10 catches for 116 yards and a touchdown on Sunday. Meanwhile, the Dolphins keyed in on Kenneth Walker as the focal point of their defensive effort for much of their showdown with the Chiefs.

The latter point is a hilarious development considering that Patrick Mahomes is still the Chiefs' quarterback, but I'm not sure the Dolphins were wrong to begin by trying to contain Walker. Make the Chiefs' somewhat unproven passing attack do the heavy lifting and hope you get a turnover and a few key stops? I understand the vision, rather than allowing Walker to run rampant through light boxes. (To Ethan's point, the Raiders' pass rush is also scary enough to limit the passing attack if they have a good day in the trenches. More on that later.)

From the Chiefs' perspective, containing Bowers has to be the top priority. He's a matchup nightmare in the best of circumstances, and I'm not sure the Chiefs have anyone who matches up well with Bowers in coverage. However, Steve Spagnuolo usually does an excellent job of limiting opponents' top weapon, forcing someone else to beat them. Perhaps that leads to a big game from running back Ashton Jeanty or another Raiders pass catcher, but I don't expect Spagnuolo to treat Bowers like your average tight end.

Are we ready to talk about the offensive line underperforming so far? We knew the tackles could be a concern, but the interior had one of its worst-graded games (Creed particularly) against a terrible front-seven. -@drronaldchevalier.bsky.social

This question almost didn't make the cut today because I'm not quite ready to dive into that conversation, but with the Raiders on deck, the Chiefs will need a better effort next week, regardless of if I'm ready to grade the group or not.

After rewatching the game on Monday morning, I did think that Creed Humphrey had a tougher day at the office than we've grown to expect. You have to take these with a grain of salt, but the Pro Football Focus grading would agree with the idea, as Kingsley Suamataia, Humphrey and Kahlil Benson were three of the four worst-graded Chiefs of the game, while Jaylon Moore and Trey Smith were graded better, but still poorly by their standards.

Chiefs PFF grades against the Dolphins pic.twitter.com/CoI4pdPdxK
— Shaun Newkirk (@Shauncore) September 28, 2026

I, frankly, don't know what happened there. Benson has been punching above his weight through the first few games of his NFL career, but the interior appeared to have some communication issues and some straight-up losses that would be uncharacteristic.

I want to see the O-line at full health with Josh Simmons back at left tackle before I start looking for a panic button, but it's enough for some alarm ahead of their matchup with Maxx Crosby and Co.

Be honest now. Before the season, did you have a 3-0 matchup between the Chiefs and Raiders on your bingo card? -@MrEd315

No truth serum needed! This is a stunner. While it's fair to note that the Raiders have beaten two winless teams (Chargers and Dolphins) and a one-win squad (Saints), the Chiefs' early résumé is similar. Even more shocking: this is the first time that the Chiefs and Raiders have both started a season 3-0 in the same year. Remarkable stuff.

How do we find true connection in an inherently isolating world? -@tuckerdfranklin

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