The Kansas City Chiefs have struggled to rush the passer consistently over the past two seasons, making Sunday's win over the Las Vegas Raiders a welcome change. While it looked much the same early on, the Chiefs were able to turn up the pressure when the game mattered the most. R Mason Thomas, Chris Jones, and George Karlaftis all made huge plays in the final quarter, finding a way to get into the Las Vegas backfield and push Kirk Cousins off his spot.
A quick pressure from the d-line is actually what forced the Chiefs' game-winning interception. It put Cousins in a tough spot, and he ended up floating the ball up for grabs, allowing the rookie safety Xavier Nwankpa to end a last gasp from the Raiders' offense. It isn't an overstatement to point out that the KC pass rush had a sizable part in winning this game after two very quiet weeks.
Not getting a sack since Week 1 against Denver remains a clear red flag despite the undefeated start. Seeing KC's best rusher come to life when the team needed it most was an undeniable statement, one that should have fans excited for the road ahead.
Rushing the passer is still an area of needed improvement, as the Chiefs are tied for the second-least team sacks with just four. While the unit did show improvement late, there were still troubling signs in the Raiders game. Late in the fourth quarter, Cousins was afforded a gargantuan 6.5 seconds in the pocket, which allowed him the time to scan the field and deliver a laser to Brock Bowers for a score, cutting the Chiefs' lead to just three after the extra point.
Kirk Cousins took 6.5 seconds to throw before finding Brock Bowers in the end zone, the longest time to throw on a Cousins TD pass in the Next Gen Stats era (since 2016).#KCvsLV | #RaiderNation pic.twitter.com/DCEVJMoOyp
— Next Gen Stats (@NextGenStats) October 4, 2026
Chiefs inability to sack the quarterback continues to put defense in tough spots
Kansas City has been pushed to the brink twice by quarterbacks who, when faced with a collapsing pocket, would be far less of a threat. Cousins isn't a mobile option, and at this point neither is Daniel Jones of the Colts.
Kansas City found a way to get both wins and stay undefeated, but if they are going to accomplish the ultimate goal, we are going to need to see more consistency. It was great to see George Karlaftis have his best game of the year so far, leading the team in QB hits with 7. And while Chris Jones had his moments, his presence was once again dwindling.
Chiefs DE George Karlaftis' 7 QB hits vs. Raiders is the most I can find in a regular-season game since @pff started tracking the stat in 2021.
— Jesse Newell (@jessenewell) October 5, 2026
If the Chiefs can find a way to add to the unit by way of the young guys improving, while getting the best version of current veterans, this can certainly turn into a Super Bowl-caliber defense. But it was certainly exciting for fans to see signs of life, and the hope is that this will prove to be a building block moving forward.
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