When the Kansas City Chiefs face the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 4, it will be the biggest game between the two in a long time.
Both teams are entering the matchup at 3-0, ahead of the 2-1 Denver Broncos and 0-3 Los Angeles Chargers in the AFC West. The Chiefs and Raiders won’t meet again until the season finale in Week 18, which means Sunday’s winner could have a leg up on the other for a long stretch.
Kansas City Chiefs QB Patrick Mahomes Balances Friendship and Competitiveness With Raiders EDGE Maxx Crosby
Mahomes and Crosby have developed a friendship over the years, but things didn’t start out great between the two. During a “Monday Night Football” game between the Chiefs and Raiders back in 2022, Las Vegas got off to an early 17-0 lead. Crosby was in Mahomes’ face all night, leading to a blowup between the two, as famously captured on the Netflix show “Quarterback.”
Kansas City stormed back for a 30-29 victory in that game. Mahomes and Crosby dropped their beef and have had a strong mutual respect every since. While speaking to the media on Wednesday, Mahomes dropped a familiar line when he was asked about some of his most memorable exchanges with Crosby over the years.
“I’m here,” Mahomes said, referencing back to the game in 2022. “It’s just being competitors. It’s like whenever you’re young and competing with one of your friends, you want to win because you want those bragging rights. You go into the offseason, if you see the guy, you can give him a little something here or there. It’s what the pure feeling of football is, having the best competitors competing against each other.”
Mahomes, Crosby Bonded Over Offseason Injuries
Mahomes and Crosby spent much of the 2026 offseason rehabbing injuries to their left knees. In 2025 Mahomes tore his ACL and LCL, and Crosby tore his meniscus. Mahomes went on to reveal that he and Crosby exchanged texts during the offseason
“He actually texted me right when I get cleared to play,” Mahomes said. “He just kind of said ‘hey, we’re both back.’ For me, I was just like ‘let’s show the world who we are.’ With the competitors in this league, there is a rivalry. When you step on that field, we’re going to go at it. That’s just what it is. It makes when you do go out there and get the win even better.”
Mahomes has dominated the Raiders throughout his career, posting a 13-2 career record against them. However, Las Vegas does usually play the Chiefs tough, and will have home field advantage in its favor this week. Crosby is under contract with the Raiders through the 2029 season, so barring a trade, he and Mahomes will keep their rivalry going for the foreseeable future.
Patrick Mahomes Drops Familiar Line While Discussing Rivalry With Maxx Crosby