The Kansas City Chiefs have navigated the first six weeks of the 2025 season searching for traction as they aim to return to the playoffs. After a Week 6 showdown against the Detroit Lions at Arrowhead Stadium, Kansas City now shifts focus to a familiar foe: the Las Vegas Raiders.

In Week 7, the Chiefs will host their AFC West rivals, aiming to extend their win streak against Las Vegas to three games.  This season, the Raiders have stumbled to a 2-4 record under new head coach Pete Carroll, while quarterback Geno Smith has delivered an inconsistent performance, offering Patrick Mahomes and HC Andy Reid an opportunity to gain momentum.

Historically, even during rough stretches, the Raiders could lean on an elite special team’s unit. But this year, that edge has all but disappeared. Former Chiefs tight end Jason Dunn highlighted the Raiders’ vulnerability on X (formerly Twitter), writing: “🔥🔥🔥100% and it’s time for our SP Teams to get back on track this week, gotta fight for that field position! These guys are bout due for one, no better opponent to do it against than the Raiders😤😤😤”

Dunn’s message points directly to Las Vegas’ biggest weakness: special teams. And while it’s puzzling that this gap exists, considering the key personnel are mostly intact, struggles have emerged in recent weeks. Kicker Daniel Carlson, with the Raiders since 2018, had a game-winning field goal blocked against Chicago two weeks ago.

Punter AJ Cole, in the team since 2019, saw a punt blocked by Indianapolis on Sunday, an effort that also left him nursing a sprained ankle. Special team’s coordinator Tom McMahon, who joined in 2022, is left to right the ship.

The Raiders did get a boost with tight end Michael Mayer returning from concussion protocol after missing the previous two games. Mayer serves as the primary edge blocker on kicks, a role critical to shoring up the special team’s unit.

Coach Pete Carroll emphasized his importance: “It’s crucially important for us, particularly because he’s in such a critical position where he plays and he’s really good at it. We need him.”

Meanwhile, the Chiefs enter Week 7 with their receiving corps at full strength for the first time this season. The stage is set for the Chiefs to capitalize. And Jason Dunn wants them to do it emphatically.

Chiefs ready to unleash as Andy Reid prepares for the Raiders

The Chiefs’ receiving corps is finally whole, and the excitement is palpable. Andy Reid would be buzzing. Xavier Worthy has hinted at the potent combination in a cryptic X post on October 14: “1+4=5 🥷.”

The message seemingly references the jersey numbers of himself (#1), Rashee Rice (#4), and Hollywood Brown (#5), with a ninja emoji signaling stealth and precision. An unmistakable warning to the rest of the league.

Brown, now fully healthy, has been productive with quarterback Patrick Mahomes, averaging 50.3 yards per game in 2025, his best per-game output since 2022 after missing most of the 2024 season due to a shoulder injury. Worthy, who missed time earlier in the year with a shoulder issue of his own, has started the past three games, highlighted by a 5-for-83 performance against Baltimore.

Rice returns after a long hiatus, sidelined since September 2024 due to a combination of knee surgery and a six-game suspension. Before the layoff, he was posting 96.0 yards per game through the first three weeks of 2024, even without Brown lining up beside him.

Week 7 against division rival the Raiders will feature a formidable lineup. Rice, Worthy, Brown, superstar tight end Travis Kelce, and a supporting cast of playmakers including Tyquan Thornton, JuJu Smith-Schuster, and the Chiefs’ running back unit. The group’s unselfish mentality, captured in Brown’s post-Week 6 mantra “Everybody’s gotta eat.”

It was mirrored by Rice on social media. It signals a team built to share the football and keep defenses off balance.