On paper, the Kansas City Chiefs are one of five teams who haven’t lost a single game through the first three weeks of the 2026 regular season. But read between the lines – or ask offensive coordinator Eric Bieniemy – and their 24-10 win over the Miami Dolphins left a lot to be desired. As they go to Week 4 to face the fellow 3-0 Las Vegas Raiders, Bieniemy isn’t content with how things stand in his offense.

“Feels good coming off another tough road victory,” Bieniemy said, opening his latest presser. “I thought our guys did a great job of managing a win. Obviously, I thought we could have played a lot better at times. But when it’s all said and done with, it ain’t about the numbers. You know, our guys did a great job of dragging their a** across the finish line. We’ll clean up the rest.”

A major pain point was how long it took Patrick Mahomes & Co. to put away a struggling Dolphins squad. Miami had an opportunity to take the lead all the way through the end of the third quarter, trailing just 4 points behind KC. It wasn’t until the fourth quarter that the Chiefs managed to carve out a two-score lead to seal the game. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg.

In the presser, Eric Bieniemy also fielded a question about how his backs have struggled in the short-yardage plays in Weeks 2 & 3. Against Miami, the Chiefs only managed 5 rushing first-downs to Miami’s 7. When asked what makes a good back, Bieniemy shifted the focus from the RB room and shone the light on the entire roster once again.

“Well, first of all, it’s an attitude,” Bieniemy said. “Obviously any back will tell you, ‘Okay, if you’re giving me the ball, the game’s on the line, we’re going to find a way to get it.’ But when it’s all said and done with, it’s about a collective team effort. We didn’t execute very well. We didn’t play very well in that particular moment. We should have [done] some things up front, obviously, but the back got to find a way to get it.

“But at the end of the day, collectively as an offensive unit, we didn’t get the job done. And I always talk to these guys about being at your best when your best is needed. And that kind of sputtered us from that point on. So, the moral of the story is that when those moments are clearly put in our position for us to go out there and execute moving forward, we got to find a way to get it done. And at the end of the day, that’s where we stand right now. And that’s where we continue to grow as an offense.”

Another red flag for the Chiefs is that the fate of Mahomes’ blind side protector remains up in the air as long as Josh Simmons deals with the bulging disc in his lower back. UDFA rookie Khalil Benson had put up a great fight in the first two weeks against the Broncos and the Colts, but that fire fizzled out against Miami. Benson struggled with protections in the second half, letting Miami’s defense close in on Mahomes a lot. However, Benson has said all the right things after that Week 3 win.

“There’s a lot of things I can clean up, but I’m gonna make sure I clear it up in the film room,” he told The Athletic. “As a rookie, I’m going to keep listening to my vets, listening to my coaches and make sure I clear up the right things that I need to clean up so we can go back and play better next week.”

But it’s not just about offensive struggles, though. KC’s defense allowed Miami to stay on the field for 34:21 minutes compared to their 25:39. In that duration, they gave up 9 passing first downs, 7 rushing first downs, and allowed the Dolphins to have an 8-16 third-down efficiency, and couldn’t land a sack on Dolphins quarterback Malik Willis.

Now, visiting the Raiders, Eric Bieniemy knows he has his work cut out for him. While quarterback Kirk Cousins is playing the best football he’s played in a long time, the biggest worry for the Chiefs remains the Raiders’ defense anchored by Maxx Crosby. And Bieniemy didn’t hesitate to give the Raiders their flowers.

“Shoutout to Coach [Klint] Kubiak and his entire staff. Those guys are doing a hell of a job,” Bieniemy said. “They’re 3-and-0, they’re doing a hell of a job on defense. Those guys are playing fast, they’re playing hard. Obviously, you see what Maxx Crosby and crew has done. These guys are leading in a number of stats. I think leading the league in fumbles, batted balls, they got a high number of turnovers.

“They’re doing a hell of a job enjoying the game and having a lot of fun playing. I think that’s all attributed to the head coach and his defensive staff. But on top of that too, they got one of the better defensive players in the league by the name of Maxx Crosby, and he’s doing a hell of a job leading those guys through this particular three game success that they’ve had.”

It’s not just about Crosby, though. As a collective defense, the Raiders already have nine takeaways, five forced fumbles, and four picks three weeks in. The Chiefs’ offense isn’t slouching either. Super Bowl LX MVP running back Kenneth Walker III has already earned himself an AFC Offensive Player of the Month honor.

With Mahomes making plays, Travis Kelce finishing them, and Walker barreling through defenses while keeping an iron grip on the football – we can surely expect fireworks against the Raiders. But the Chiefs will have to fix their gaps, or risk losing their 3-game win streak to a defense Eric Bieniemy knows is firing on all cylinders.