The 2026 NFL regular season’s Week 4 featured the Kansas City Chiefs defeating the Las Vegas Raiders, who moved to 4-0, one of three NFL teams with such a record.
Let’s see how the national media responded to this week’s sampling of power rankings:
The average fan might view Sunday’s four-quarter battle with the Raiders as a red mark on Kansas City’s résumé. not me Las Vegas is no frills and deserves respect. The lesser teams collapsed in the desert. The Chiefs did the opposite, delivering timely game-changing plays in the fourth quarter and hanging on for a win made possible by the strength of their balanced and dynamic offense.
Four words to describe the first four weeks: In Walker we trust.
Coach Andy Reid and offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy have no reason to abandon the run as long as running back Kenneth Walker III is healthy and on the field. Walker completely transformed the Chiefs’ offense, allowing quarterback Patrick Mahomes to make deeper completions. Walker led the NFL with 537 rushing yards and the team with six total touchdowns. The Chiefs should continue to rely on Walker following the bye week after injuries to receivers Tyquan Thornton (dislocated left ankle) and Rashee Rice (right hamstring). — Nate Taylor
Level of concern: Nothing, now that they have Kenneth Walker
After years of struggling to run the ball well, the Chiefs gave Walker, the reigning Super Bowl MVP, a contract worth more than $14 million per season. So far, this looks like an incredible deal. Walker joins Billy Sims (from 1980) as the only NFL players in league history to have at least 175 yards from scrimmage in three of their first four games with a new team.
— Chad Graff and Josh Kendall
They need help at receiver, badly.
They are 4-0, but they suffered some hits at the receiver position on Sunday that were concerning. They need to reach Tyreek Hill. When will he be ready?
If you want the Chiefs to go down as soon as possible, it probably won’t happen. Their upcoming schedule is soft and should lead to an 8-2 start or better:
Week 5: goodbye
Week 6: vs. Charger
Week 7: at Seahawks
Week 8: at Broncos
Week 9: vs. Jets
Week 10: at Falcons
Week 11: vs. Cardinals
That’s four games in which Kansas City should be a significant favorite, and while the game with the Seahawks will be very difficult, it’s not like the Broncos are playing well. That’s a winnable road game. A 4-2 run in that six game seems like the worst possible outcome. The Chiefs aren’t going away.
Will there be anyone left on the AFC’s final undefeated team to play wide receiver on the other side of their Week 5 bye after Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton lost to Vegas on Sunday? Maybe an old friend?
One of the most frustrating aspects of the Chiefs’ early season run is that, for a decade, we’ve wondered when this team would find quality talent in the late rounds and a downhill running back who could change the plan. And just when we were positive about the franchise rebuilding, they came with R Mason Thomas and Kenneth Walker III in an offseason.
Their demolition of the Broncos in Week 1 was a signal to the world that they were back, and they haven’t really stopped rolling since. Patrick Mahomes looks like his former MVP self, at least as a passer, and it’s impossible to overstate what the addition of RB Kenneth Walker III, the NFL’s leading rusher, has done to their offense.
They could use a little pass rush to balance things out, but I trust Steve Spagnuolo to find that in this bye week.
Stats To Know: Through their first 151 career starts (regular season and playoffs combined), Patrick Mahomes and Tom Brady now have identical 116-35 overall records.