Chiefs playmakers making Patrick Mahomes life easier in one major way

The Kansas City Chiefs are getting ready for a surprise showdown with Maxx Crosby's Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday as both teams sit undefeated through three weeks. In Patrick Mahomes' career, he has dominated the Raiders to the tune of a 13-2 record. But now with Klint Kubiak as head coach, improved offensive playmakers, and a strong pass rush, Las Vegas looks like a legitimately good team.

This matchup feels different in comparison to recent seasons, and the Chiefs, as always, are going to need to lean on Patrick Mahomes and his weapons to put this game away. And so far, this year that's been much easier to dot han year's past. Mahomes has a strong running game to rely on with Kenneth Walker III, and a healthy group of pass-catchers who seem to do the most damage with the ball in their hands.

This was made obvious as the Chiefs, through three weeks, led the league in yards after catch at 528, over 100 more yards than the second-place Seattle Seahawks at 418 yards. The two most responsible for this have been Travis Kelce at 155 YAC and Rashee Rice with 120 YAC of his own.

Chiefs offensive weapons easing the burden on Patrick Mahomes

It's yet to be known if the Chiefs will continue this type of pace, but one thing is for certain. Kelce and Rice doing work after securing the football should be baked into both teams' game plans, heading into Week 4. The Chiefs need Kelce and Rice to continue to do exactly what they did in the previous week and find ways to create plays even on shorter passes.

It would do Kenneth Walker a disservice to not include him in this discussion as well. Not only can he run the ball and break tackles with ease, but the reigning Super Bowl MVP's ability to catch the football and make things happen after the catch is potentially the most underrated aspect of his game. Two of four scores this season have actually come through the air.

While the Raiders' defense has drastically improved from years past, there are still weak points they have in coverage. Linebackers Nakobe Dean and Quay Walker are fine players and athletic freaks, but consistency and being in the right place have been an issue for both. And in terms of the Raiders' secondary, there is not much to speak of.

Which is why I would expect the Chiefs to be able to score enough points to make the Raiders' offense really have to work to match what Mahomes and co. do.

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