The Las Vegas Raiders currently sit in an unfamiliar spot, with three wins to start the season, and people are expecting more. After a comeback road victory over the New Orleans Saints, Vegas started the season better than most believed they would. With new head coach Klint Kubiak orchestrating a smooth offense and defensive coordinator Rob Leonard making the defense more proactive and aggressive than in years, the team started the season in great shape.
Yet, this Sunday brings them the biggest test of the year to date: the Kansas City Chiefs. The bitter division rivals hold a 22-10 edge in victories since the 2010 season. However, some believe the Raiders are not the same perennial punching bag they’ve been in recent years. Rich Eisen discussed the hot start.
“Everybody thought the conversation about them started with Fernando Mendoza? Not if, when, when. And right now, what the Raiders are doing, I believe, I swear to you, this is an appropriate analogy, I think. Okay, what they’re doing is Mendoza is Mahomes, and Kirk Cousins is Alex Smith. Don’t forget that they drafted Patrick Mahomes and then sat him on the bench. He didn’t play until the final week of that regular season, while Alex Smith took the team to the playoffs with a terrific young tight end.”
How about 38-year-old Kirk Cousins?
He’s leading the NFL with 9 TD passes and has the Raiders (3-14 a year ago) off to a 3-0 start. pic.twitter.com/ikISLDIj7I
— Grant Paulsen (@GrantPaulsen) September 28, 2026
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The Parallel
If you dive into Eisen’s parallel, it makes sense from an accuracy and historical viewpoint. Alex Smith was the entrenched starter, but the strong-armed Texas Tech product fell all the way to the tenth pick, with Mitchell Trubisky being drafted ahead of him.
In addition, the young, promising tight end turned out to be a future Hall of Famer: Travis Kelce. The narrative fits, except for a few differences. While people knew who Mahomes was, he wasn’t the Heisman Trophy winner, and he led his team to a national championship and the No. 1 pick in the NFL Draft.
Brock Bowers came back and immediately looked like Brock Bowers again.
10 REC, 116 REC YDS, 1 TD vs Saints
Can Bowers help push the Raiders into the playoffs? https://t.co/cvv8di0xYV pic.twitter.com/uNetudtQdk
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) September 27, 2026
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The Redshirt Year in the Modern NFL
While sitting first-round draft picks used to be commonplace in the NFL, the league changed that dynamic. Now, most first-round quarterbacks start the first week, thrown into the fire, whether they are ready or not. However, the results have not been overwhelmingly positive.
Waiting and not starting the first couple of weeks seems like the smart approach. Aaron Rodgers waited a couple of years before supplanting Brett Favre. More recently, Lamar Jackson took over for Joe Flacco late in the season. Each player has won multiple MVPs with an almost perennial appearance in the playoffs.
Confident Humility
No, the Raiders have not won the Super Bowl yet. With 14 more games to go, Sunday’s game against the Chiefs takes on greater meaning. As mentioned, the Chiefs represent the roadblock that sits in front of the Raiders. Eisen aeticulates why.
“In come the 3-0 Kansas City Chiefs who treat this place in Vegas like it’s their western White House. It is a Chiefs home game. This is where they won the Super Bowl. They don’t lose in this building. And Clint Kubak knows he’s on a bit of a rocket ship here. And he’s not raising banners.”
Nothing in what Eisen said is untrue. Kansas City lifted a Lombardi at Allegiant Stadium, the ultimate insult. However, beating them Sunday means that the laughingstock era of the Raiders is over. The jokes and the mockery could end with a strong showing.
Raiders’ Hot Start Triggers Bold Patrick Mahomes Comparison Ahead of Chiefs Showdown