Four weeks. Four wins. None of them was as intense as the Kansas City Chiefs' 30-27 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on Sunday. Week 4 was a nail-biting thriller that looked safe near the end until it wasn't. Even with the loss, the Raiders are clearly on the right track with Klint Kubiak as head coach. The Chiefs, meanwhile, have to be heartened to eke out such an important win with key contributions coming from every direction.
The Chiefs' performance in Week 4 featured highlights from all three phases, so let's get to it, while acknowledging that even such a win comes with some losers. Our rundown of Week 4 is here.
Losers: The doubters
Any NFL fan who'd grown tired of the Chiefs' dominance had one season to relish their downfall. Instead of another down year of transition to replenish a thin and aging roster, the Chiefs rebounded with a strong offseason and deep draft class. Four games in, they're already the AFC's lone unbeaten team, have a one-game lead on everyone in the AFC West, and head into the bye to heal up from early-season injuries. The climb will get tougher from here, but the Chiefs already have two-thirds of their win total from '25.
Winner: Kenneth Walker
The numbers speak for themselves: 22 carries, 177 rushing yards, 2 touchdowns. After four games, Walker sits at 537 rushing yards, which not only leads the entire NFL right now but is 116 yards more than Bills running back James Cook, who sits in second place. (It's worth mentioning that Bijan Robinson, who is 188 yards behind Walker, has yet to play in Week 4, because of Monday Night Football.) He's already put up 6 runs of 20 yards or more and is going to merit serious consideration for Offensive Player of the Year if he keeps this up.
Loser: Chiefs' IOL depth
Kingsley Suamataia was benched in Week 4 for reasons unknown. Mike Caliendo was the next man up. The results were not good. If Caliendo is the Chiefs' best substitute along the interior offensive line, then they're going to have real problems down the road, given that the long NFL season (and postseason) typically demands quality depth to make it. Brett Veach already traded for Joshua Ezeudu to shore up the need, but the Chiefs didn't play him. Hunter Nourzad, too. Gonna be interesting to see if further help is added.
Winner: Tyquan Thornton
The Chiefs have been waiting for someone to kick open the door to the wide receiver room and claim ownership of the WR1 designation for some time. Tyquan Thornton came into this year begging for the chance—or at least for more targets—and his heroic efforts versus the Raiders were a signal he was ready for it all. With five catches for 111 yards and 2 touchdowns, Thornton was electric on Sunday and torched Vegas when they failed to respect the deep ball. Unfortunately, Thornton's memorable night came to an abrupt end, which leads us to...
Loser: Patrick Mahomes' options
Thornton was taken away on a cart to the locker room after suffering an ankle injury late in the fourth quarter. The early feedback is a dislocation with further tests to go, but Thornton is going to be on the shelf even after the scheduled bye in Week 5. Earlier in the game, Rashee Rice exited with a hamstring injury as well. That leaves Xavier Worthy atop the depth chart to go with Jalen Royals, Cyrus Allen, and Nikko Remigio. Expect Brett Veach to go shopping in his downtime.
Winners: R Mason Thomas & George Karlaftis
Some box score observers are going to look at the lack of sacks in the game and wonder where the Chiefs' pass rush was. And certainly, there were moments when Kirk Cousins had plenty of time in the pocket. But when literal push came to shove, the Chiefs got a lot of quality pressure on the Raiders' quarterback. Rookie R Mason Thomas was a force for all four quarters, and his burst off the edge was a real problem, especially as the game went on and stamina came into play. Meanwhile, George Karlaftis continued to push the pocket with his strength and non-stop motor. Thomas had 8 pressures on the day, while Karlaftis had 6 quarterback hits.
Loser: Jaylon Moore
Caliendo wasn't the only reason why Patrick Mahomes was laid flat multiple times on Sunday afternoon. Maxx Crosby gets the upper hand over most tackles, but Jaylon Moore had a particularly tough time of it in Week 4. The tackle position is stretched thin as it is with Josh Simmons out (back) through the first month. Will Kahlil Benson switch to the right side when Simmons is healthy? Hard to say, but Crosby had a pretty clear path to Mahomes early and often.
Winner: Matt Araiza
Several special teamers had some nice moments on Sunday (and some not-so-great moments), but we're going to give Matt Araiza the spotlight here. The man known as "punt god" at the collegiate level had a turbulent start to his NFL career, but he's locked in as an underappreciated specialist for the Chiefs. Multiple punts pinned the Raiders deep in their own territory, including an absolutely brilliant fourth-quarter punt that was downed at the 1-yard line (great work from Emmett Johnson here). Punt god? We have faith that he is.
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