Chiefs vs Chargers
Chargers exorcise divisional demon. Los Angeles flew to Brazil with a losing streak against Kansas City that dated back to late September 2021 stowed away with its luggage. The Chargers won't need to check that bag for the return trip home. Year 2 of the Jim Harbaugh era got off to an emphatic start in an unexpected fashion as the run-first Chargers of 2024 began 2025 with an aerial attack that appeared to catch the Chiefs off-guard. The approach powered a statement scoring drive that helped Los Angeles gain a crucial early lead on Kansas City, and when it came time for the Chargers to drain clock in the fourth quarter, they refused to get conservative, unleashing Justin Herbert's fantastic arm and passing their way down the field for another score that proved to be decisive. The question about this team entering 2025 was whether run-focused offensive coordinator Greg Roman might open
up Los Angeles' passing attack after identifying as a rugged, ground-focused offense last season. The Chargers answered that question forcefully Friday night.
Chiefs' defense wilts in season debut. When they won their last Super Bowl in the 2023 season, the Chiefs hung their hat on Steve Spagnuolo's defense. The 2025 unit couldn't hold a candle to that group, at least not after one game. Offseason losses in the secondary became a glaring weakness on Friday night as Herbert diced up Kansas City's defense for 394 yards, 318 coming through the air. Spagnuolo realized in the second half that his last resort -- sending many blitzes -- was his only chance of earning stops, and when the Chargers needed to ice the game, they knew exactly how to dial up plays with full anticipation of the blitz. This is not the style of Chiefs teams of the past, and if they want to continue their dominance of both the AFC West and the conference at large, they'll need to improve significantly on the defensive side going forward.
Rumors of Los Angeles' receiver issues were greatly exaggerated. As the 2025 season crept closer, most everyone in the football world scanned the Chargers' receiving depth chart and started wringing their hands. Then Keenan Allen made his way back to Los Angeles in early August following Mike Williams' decision to retire, and to the surprise of some, instantly made a difference in Week 1. The 33-year-old wideout caught seven passes for 68 yards and a touchdown, bringing much-needed proven talent to the corps and complementing Quentin Johnston, who had one of the best games of his career Friday night, catching Herbert's first and last touchdown passes to both set the tone and seal the win. With Johnston and Allen producing, Ladd McConkey was able to find a sweet spot in the corps, hauling in six passes for 74 yards and forming a trio that was so good that L.A. didn't need rookie Tre Harris much at all. The combined production brought much-needed balance the Chargers lacked a year ago, raising their offensive ceiling going forward.
Worthy's exit looms as a multi-week concern. The Chiefs spent the entire offseason speaking about how they wanted to return to their explosive roots in 2025, a result that undoubtedly depended on the involvement of Xavier Worthy, a second-year burner who was primed to play a bigger role this year. That ambition fizzled after just three snaps Friday night. Worthy collided with tight end Travis Kelce while running a mesh concept on third down and took the full force of Kelce on his right shoulder, knocking him out of the action for the night and throwing a wrench into Kansas City's game plan. The Chiefs needed nearly the entire first half to reorganize and return to their 2024 form -- an approach built on short passing and Patrick Mahomes improvisation -- before finding a rhythm and climbing back into the game. If Worthy's injury causes him to miss multiple games, their dreams of big plays might have to be put on hold (especially with Rashee Rice serving a six-game suspension), temporarily lowering the ceiling on a unit they hoped would propel them this season.
Harbaugh's imprint is starting to show. Yes, the Chargers reached the postseason in their first season under Jim Harbaugh, but that was merely the prelude to what could await for Los Angeles with the seasoned coach. From the opening kick of the Hall of Fame Game, the Chargers have looked like a disciplined, well-coached organization and that was very evident Friday night, starting with an excellent opening script devised by offensive coordinator Greg Roman. Even when the Chiefs mounted a comeback, the Chargers didn't Charger -- aka, find ways to implode and lose a close game in heartbreaking fashion -- a sign that Harbaugh's culture is taking hold in Los Angeles. It's only one game, but these Chargers look like the professional outfit they've long strived to become.
Next Gen Stats Insight for Chiefs-Chargers (NFL Pro): Patrick Mahomes scrambled to run six times for 57 yards and a touchdown, generating a career-high four explosive scramble runs of 10-plus yards while tying his career high with five first downs.NFL Research: With Friday night's win, Jim Harbaugh improved his Week 1 record to 6-0 as an NFL coach, tying for the most Week 1 wins without a loss in NFL history.Justin Herbert leads Chargers to win over Chiefs in Brazil
The Los Angeles Chargers opened the 2025 NFL season with a 27-21 win over the Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil behind a stellar performance from Justin Herbert.Los Angeles' quarterback stole the show in São Paulo, throwing for 318 yards and three 
touchdowns while rushing for 35 yards, including a 19-yard, game-sealing scramble just before the two-minute warning.
Patrick Mahomes completed 24-of-39 passes for 258 yards with a touchdown, adding 57 yards and a score on the ground along with several higlight-reel plays in the first Chiefs one-posession loss since Christmas Day 2023.Chiefs wideout Xavier Worthy exited with a shoulder injury after colliding with Kelce on Kansas City's first possession and was later ruled out.Kansas City Chiefs wide receiver Xavier Worthy exited Friday’s game against the Los Angeles Chargers early in the first quarter with a shoulder injury. After initially being ruled questionable, the Chiefs later downgraded him to out for the rest of the game.Worthy collided with tight end Travis Kelce while trying to get open on the Chiefs’ first drive. He was helped off the field by Kansas City staff before walking to the locker room with a towel over his head. Sideline reporter Stacey Dales said on the YouTube broadcast that Worthy was wincing in pain and went to the X-ray room.Worthy was the Chiefs’ leading wide receiver last year as a rookie. He entered 2025 as the Chiefs’ top option, especially with Rashee Rice serving a six-game suspension for his role in a March 2024 high-speed crash.
Isiah Pacheco fantasy owners, in the words of Aaron Rodgers, relax.It's only one game but still a frustrating start to the season for the Chiefs running back, receiving just five carries for 25 yards to go with two catches for three yards.Kansas City fell behind early, shifting the game script away from the ground game and therefore hampering Pacheco's performance. He'll face another tough matchup next week against a strong Eagles front.
After Xavier Worthy exited in the first quarter with a shoulder injury, Hollywood Brown was hyper-targeted by Patrick Mahomes.The veteran wideout saw 16 targets, reeling in 10 catches for 99 yards including a 49-yard reception on a critical fourth down late in the game.With Rashee Rice suspended and Worthy's injury outlook unclear, Brown could be in for a massive target share moving forward.
The Super Bowl hangover was never a big problem for the Kansas City Chiefs, whether they won or lost it. They just kept marching through the rest of the NFL on their way to another Super Bowl.
One loss doesn’t mean the Chiefs are feeling that hangover this season, but Friday night’s opener looked a lot like Kansas City's defeat to the Eagles in Super Bowl LIX, especially in the first half. In the end, the Los Angeles Chargers held on for a 27-21 win. That’s not a good thing.
The first drive was a bad omen for the Chiefs. Worthy and tight end Travis Kelce ran a mesh concept, with both running short crossing routes from opposite sides. But Kelce and Worthy collided. Kelce is listed at 250 pounds. Worthy is 165. Predictably, Worthy took the worst of it. He suffered a shoulder injury and didn’t return to the game. That was a huge blow to a Chiefs offense already playing without Rashee Rice, who is suspended for the first six games.
The Chargers were the far better team for most of the first half. Herbert completed 12 of 18 passes for 171 yards before halftime. A field goal in the final minute gave the Chargers a 13-3 lead.
However, the field goal came after a big mistake. Rookie running back Omarion Hampton ran out of bounds on third down, saving the Chiefs some valuable time. That allowed Patrick Mahomes to hit Tyquan Thornton for a 38-yard gain, setting up a field goal to end the half. It almost didn’t happen because Noah Gray was knocked backward and out of bounds with less than 15 seconds left, which meant the clock kept running. But the Chiefs swiftly ran their field goal team on the field, the snap got off before time expired and Harrison Butker nailed a 59-yarder to end the half to cut L.A.'s lead to 13-6.It was a costly rookie mistake that gave the Chiefs some momentum going into the half. They needed it after a mostly lethargic first half.Patrick Mahomes keeps Chiefs in it
Mahomes didn’t have a lot of help around him Friday night, but he seemed determined to take over the game by himself.
The offense finally had a nice touchdown drive after not reaching the end zone in the first half. The drive included Mahomes lowering his shoulder and running over cornerback Donte Jackson right before he went out of bounds on a run. Mahomes scored later on an 11-yard run, though the Chiefs missed the extra point. For most of the game, the Chiefs’ best offense was Mahomes scrambling when nothing was open.
Mahomes has had some incredible plays in his career, and he added to the reel in the fourth quarter. On third-and-5 he was tripped up from behind as he scrambled, and as he was in the air he somehow got off a pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster for a first down. Later in that drive, Mahomes hit Travis Kelce for a 37-yard score. The Chiefs didn’t get the 2-point conversion to tie the game, but Mahomes was doing everything he could to keep Kansas City in it.
Herbert kept making plays against a Chiefs defense that has become a foundation of their dynasty the past few seasons. After Kansas City cut L.A.’s lead to 20-18, and there had to be some worry that Mahomes was hunting them down, Herbert led a brilliant drive that ended with Quentin Johnston’s second touchdown of the night. The Chargers led 27-18 with a little more than five minutes left.
Mahomes wouldn’t give in. One fourth down he scrambled right and found Marquise Brown for 49 yards to keep the game alive. The Chiefs’ drive stalled and they settled for a field goal before the two-minute warning, hoping to get a stop and get Mahomes the ball back. The Chiefs seemed to have the Chargers in trouble on third-and-14, but they let Herbert get outside and he scrambled for 19 yards and a first down that iced the win.
The Chargers had a fantastic season in Jim Harbaugh’s return to the NFL last year. They came into this season with hopes of breaking Kansas City’s streak of nine straight AFC West titles. On Friday night, they looked like worthy contenders. And the Chiefs looked a little more vulnerable than we’re used to.
The Chargers run out the clock to get the win in Brazil, besting the Chiefs and snapping Kansas City's streak of winning one-possession games. Los Angeles will return to the states 1-0, while KC will have to wait until next week to try for the win.
Posted on 2025/09/06 09:06 AM