Chiefs stay perfect, Jaguars surge: AFC South and West roundup

Chiefs pass early Raiders test, stay unbeaten at 4-0

The first true measuring-stick game in the AFC West went the Kansas City Chiefs’ way. Traveling to Las Vegas to face a Raiders team that had started 3-0 against a soft schedule, the Chiefs escaped with a 30-27 win to reach 4-0. For the Raiders, billed as an early contender after their strong start, the loss drops them to 3-1 and reinforces Kansas City’s hold on the division’s top spot.

The Chiefs remain a central storyline off the field as well. With their wide receiver room already hit hard by injuries and Tyquan Thornton exiting late against the Raiders with a serious left ankle injury, talk of a potential Tyreek Hill reunion isn’t going away; Kansas City has reportedly already reached out to Hill’s agent. At the same time, Travis Kelce continues his push up the all-time receptions list after entering the week one catch away from seventh place alone and nine from fifth in NFL history.

Jaguars earn their respect, Colts cruise in London, Texans sink

In the AFC South, the Jacksonville Jaguars are backing up the argument that they deserve more respect. Highlighted in a national Week 4 overreaction column as an overlooked AFC force, they strengthened that case with a 22-17 win over the Cincinnati Bengals. The game was overshadowed by a concussion to Bengals star receiver Ja'Marr Chase, who left in the first half and was ruled out for the remainder. Jacksonville now sits atop the division at 3-1.

Also across the Atlantic, the Indianapolis Colts (2-2) “rolled” against the Washington Commanders in London, with Jonathan Taylor scoring twice in a 30-13 victory. Washington’s offense lost quarterback Marcus Mariota to a right knee injury, bringing rookie Athan Kaliakmanis off the bench, and never mounted a serious threat to the Colts’ control of the game.

The picture is far bleaker for the Houston Texans, who fell to 0-4 after a 34-30 home loss to the Dallas Cowboys. CeeDee Lamb put on a historic performance, setting a Cowboys single-game receptions record with 17 catches and scoring the winning touchdown in a Dallas comeback. Coming off a Week 4 in which their season was already described as “teetering,” the Texans’ 2026 campaign looks increasingly unstable.

Chargers and Titans drop to 0-4, Broncos sweat Surtain injury

Elsewhere in the AFC West, the Los Angeles Chargers’ slide continued with a 30-23 loss to the Seattle Seahawks, leaving them winless at 0-4. With the team stuck in neutral, speculation about a possible Khalil Mack trade is intensifying, as the Chargers could be tempted to field offers for the veteran pass rusher ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.

The Denver Broncos also came up short, losing 24-14 to the San Francisco 49ers to fall to 2-2, but the bigger concern is health-related. Star cornerback Patrick Surtain II left in the first half with an ankle injury, and his return was listed as questionable, casting a shadow over Denver’s defensive outlook.

In the AFC South, the Tennessee Titans’ 24-18 loss to the Baltimore Ravens left them at 0-4 as well. The matchup had been circled as one of the week’s marquee games, in a league already shaped recently by injuries to headliners like Lamar Jackson. For the Titans, Chargers and Texans, the margin for error is already vanishing barely a month into the season.