NFL today: How to watch Chiefs v Raiders, TV channels & live stream Sunday 4 October

Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking back to their best this season. Photograph: Kim Hukari/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockView image in fullscreenPatrick Mahomes and the Chiefs are looking back to their best this season. Photograph: Kim Hukari/ZUMA Press Wire/ShutterstockNFL today: How to watch Chiefs v Raiders, TV channels & live stream Sunday 4 OctoberHow will the Chiefs and Raiders fare today? Here is what to know, including kick-off time, TV channels and live stream options

Disorienting as it may sound given the past 12 years of Chiefs-Raiders matchups, their game Sunday in Las Vegas is one of the blockbusters of the young NFL season. Kansas City have used Las Vegas (and before that, Oakland) as a doormat since the 2015 season, when Patrick Mahomes was a sophomore at Texas Tech. The Chiefs took both games from the Raiders that year and began a run of 18 wins in the teams’ last 22 contests, an unusual run of AFC West dominance in a league that adores parity.

The Chiefs are favored again this week, but by less than a touchdown. The Silver and Black come in sporting a matching 3-0 record with their Missourian visitors. Kirk Cousins has found the fountain of youth at 38, keeping No 1 draft pick Fernando Mendoza in an understudy’s role for at least a while longer. The 38-year-old has averaged at least 7.5 yards per pass attempt in each of the team’s three wins, two of which came on the road. The Raiders have benefited from a light opening schedule, taking advantage of games against the moribund Dolphins and Saints. Now comes a stiff test in the desert.

Stadium: Allegiant Stadium (Las Vegas, Nevada)

United Kingdom: Watch on Sky Sports NFL or Sky Sports Football, or stream with NOW.

Just how back is Patrick Mahomes? The answer might be “extremely.” The franchise QB was having the worst season of his career last year even before it ended a few weeks early because of a torn ACL. But now, Mahomes looks both accurate and unusually spry, like a man who’s gained mobility from chasing a bunch of little kids around his house. He is also benefiting massively from the arrival of Super Bowl MVP Kenneth Walker at running back. Walker is the league’s leading rusher, with 360 yards in his first three games with K.C. It’s not just volume, either; his 5.8 yards per touch are a career best.

Cousins is getting the publicity, but the Raiders’ greatest strength to date is one that should come in extra handy against Mahomes: their sublime pass rush. Only one club, the Vikings, have generated more pressures than Vegas, according to Pro Football Reference. The biggest chunk of those (13) have come from the freakishly good Maxx Crosby, who only remains with the team because the Ravens backed out of a trade the teams had agreed to in March. It’s a team effort, though: Crosby only has two of the Raiders’ 10 sacks to date, a figure that places them tied for fourth. Mahomes will be minding his blind side.