When Patrick Mahomes calls you the best pass rusher he’s gone up against, you know he means business. And unfortunately for the Chiefs, the same pass rusher their QB had once talked about is rearing to go for Week 4. 

Maxx Crosby has never hidden his intent when the Las Vegas Raiders face Patrick Mahomes, and Week 4 gives him another shot. The Raiders edge rusher has spent years chasing the Kansas City Chiefs quarterback who has dominated this AFC West rivalry. But before kickoff, Crosby made sure Mahomes heard exactly what was coming.

“He [Mahomes] knows what it is,” Crosby said on his podcast. “It’s war. There are no other words needed. You know what I mean? That’s as simple as that. So, yeah, I can’t wait. There’s a lot of work to be done till we get there, but, yeah, it’s war.”

The Crosby-Mahomes rivalry isn’t exactly a secret, especially after Quarterback on Netflix showed just how heated moments between the two got. Then there’s the clip of Crosby headbutting the QB. Needless to say, when Mahomes and Crosby cross paths, fireworks go up. 

But this time, things are on an entirely different level. You see, both Mahomes and Crosby entered this season with something to prove. Some thought Mahomes and the Chiefs would fade away, especially after the ACL injury that put the QB out for a big chunk of last season. At the same time, Crosby had to return to a 3-14 Raiders side after his big move to the Ravens fell through. 

But when the season kicked off, both players and teams turned the AFC West into their battleground. The Chiefs dominated the Broncos on their way to a 3-0 start. And against all odds, Crosby led the Raiders side to three wins, with sacks and fumble recoveries. 

That’s why when you look at this AFC West showdown in Week 4, there’s a sense of anticipation in the air. The winner of this clash could be on their way to win not just the AFC West, but the AFC conference as well. 

For the Chiefs, the Raiders are the most-played opponent, but this is the first time both sides will be playing as 3-0 teams. And there’s also the fact that Mahomes is ultra-successful at Allegiant Stadium: he’s never lost a game here.

Both players know what’s at stake, not just this season, but during the entirety of their rivalry. As AFC West rivals, Crosby and Mahomes have squared off plenty of times, and Crosby used the show to explain what makes those meetings so intense.

“I think it’s just the competitors,” Crosby stated. “There’s levels to competitors in this league, and there’s no higher league than the NFL, and you get the best of the best.”

He added that both players are “looking forward to it” and that the respect runs both ways.

At the same time. Mahomes believes he has been sacked by Crosby the most (six times), making this a fiery matchup between the two.

“To me, he’s the best pass rusher that I’ve played against,” Mahomes said at a recent presser.

So Sunday sets up as a true early-season showdown. Both teams are undefeated, both have a star on the rise or already at the top, and only one of them will leave with the win. And as it stands, the Raiders look worrying. 

Three games into the Klint Kubiak era, and the team already feels like a different side. That’s a big shift for a franchise that went 3-14 last season.

They were a directionless organization that hadn’t won a division title since 2002. Kubiak, fresh off helping Seattle win a Super Bowl as offensive coordinator, saw something others didn’t.

“There’s just a lot to love about this organization,” Kubiak said at his introductory media conference in February. “You look around this building and the resources that we have, our meal room, the weight room, the fields outside, the coaches’ offices, it’s as good as it gets in the NFL. Been in a lot of buildings for good reasons and bad reasons, been hired and fired, and the resources are here. We’ve just got to go put it all together.”

Doubt was fair when the Raiders started 2 and 0, but the 35-27 win over the Saints may change that. Las Vegas came back by forcing a turnover on every New Orleans drive in the fourth quarter.

The numbers back it up. The defense ranks second in the league in EPA allowed per play, a remarkable jump from a year ago, per PFF.

All of that sets the stage for Sunday. The Raiders have beaten the Chiefs thrice in the last five years, and the red and gold are currently leading with 76–56–2.

This one feels different. The hope around this team looks real, not like a brief spark that fades into another long losing streak, and Las Vegas will walk in believing it can win.