Week 1 Chiefs vs. Chargers game preview: Revamped O-Line gets their first test
Prime-time season opener in São Paulo with divisional stakes on the line pits Kansas City’s new-look offense against a veteran Chargers front.
The Kansas City Chiefs are kicking off their 2025 season in grand style. The back-to-back-to-back AFC Champs are down south, gearing up to take on an AFC West rival in São Paulo, Brazil, for a Friday night prime time game.
Tonight will mark a true test for the new-look left side of the offensive line. It will be assignment number one for second-year guard Kingsley Suamataia and rookie left tackle Josh Simmons.
And it will not be an easy one.
Defensive end Khalil Mack, 34, may not be what he once was, but he’s still got it. According to PFF, he finished as the sixth and fifth-ranked edge rusher overall over the past two seasons.
He will be a tough test for the 22-year-old Simmons, who is making his first NFL start. Even if Father Time catches up with Mack this season, just his veteran savviness alone will challenge Simmons.
It would be logical for defensive coordinator Jesse Minter to line him up over Simmons the majority of the time, rather than right tackle Jawaan Taylor, even if it is just to see where the rookie’s head is at.
Suamataia will also be put to the test after having an up-and-down preseason and a rookie season to forget. The matchup he will face is one against defensive tackle Teair Tart as the second-year BYU product begins a journey at a new position.
Tart enjoyed a breakout season in his first year with the Chargers last season. He finished as PFF’s 14th-rated defensive tackle, ranking among the best against both the run and the pass.
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Mahomes is eager to see how the O-Line stacks up against a veteran D-Line.
“Yeah, I think every step of the way so far, they’ve (offensive line) done a great job of getting better and better and kind of checking those boxes,” Mahomes said. “And so, this will be a great test for them. And this is a prolific D-line with Khalil Mack and really all throughout. They got depth at edge at d-tackles, and they were one of the best defenses in the league this last year. So, it’ll be another test for these guys, and I’m excited for them to go out there and accept the challenge and showcase who they are.”
All eyes will be on those two, and for good reason. If there is one question mark along the Chargers' defense, it is their secondary. Kristian Fulton and Asante Samuel Jr.'s exits via free agency have left their backfield with star safety Derwin James as the only known commodity.
Simmons and Suamataia playing well would give quarterback Patrick Mahomes the ability to work the zones and test that secondary. Both Travis Kelce and JuJu Smith-Schuster are well-known for exploiting a zone defense.
The Chargers may need to get home if they want to tame the newly revamped Chiefs offense.
If Los Angeles has the same chops as they did in 2024, this game could be a slugfest, though. The Chargers ranked first in the league in points allowed, at 17.7.
Both head coach Andy Reid and quarterback Patrick Mahomes lauded how good a defensive coordinator Minter is this week. Reid noted the talent is not too bad either.
“They’re a zone (defense) team. But the zones are tight, and they have a bunch of different combinations,” Reid said. “Plus, they can play man, and they do that well, but their zones are – they do a heck of a job with that. You can see why they were ranked so high and they’re trying not to give up the big play, obviously, but at the same time be able to attack underneath.
They’ve got good speed on the defense and those front guys. I mean, (number) 52 (Chargers LB Khalil Mack), heck of a player. That number 3 (Chargers S Derwin James Jr.) is not bad either, so they’re good players for them (Chargers).”
How about the reverse matchup?
The Chiefs' O-line vs. the Chargers’ D-Line is something significant to keep tabs on, but so is the reverse. All-Pro left tackle Rashawn Slater came down with a season-ending injury just a few weeks ago.
That leaves Trey Pipkins III to take over at right tackle with Joe Alt kicking over to the left. Alt is a star in the making, but Pipkins has left a lot to be desired throughout his career.
This had to be music to Chris Jones, George Karlaftis, Charles Omenihu and the company's ears. That is especially true for Jones, who loves to kick outside on obvious passing downs.
Trent McDuffie vs. Ladd McConkey
It is tough to deem All-Pro corner Trent McDuffie as an X-Factor given that he is a budding star. With Ladd McConkey being quarterback Justin Herbert’s only real threat, this can be considered a big game for 22.
One of the first things to keep an eye on in this game is whether or not some combination of Jaylen Watson, Fulton, Nohl Williams and Nazeeh Johnson has done enough to man the two outside spots.
McDuffie can freely roam the middle of the field if that is the case. That would be a plus-luxury in this matchup, given the Chargers' lack of threats at the boundary receiver position.
McConkey had an excellent rookie season, posting 112 catches, 1,149 yards and seven touchdowns. He also played over 69 percent of his snaps last season out of the slot, which is also McDuffie’s greatest strength.
Keenan Allen is likely Los Angeles’ second-greatest receiving threat. He played over 60 percent of slot snaps over his last several seasons with the Chargers as well.
McDuffie should be busy tonight.
Objective # 1: Stop the run
If there is one fact about Chargers head coach Jim Harbaugh and offensive coordinator Greg Roman, it is that they commit to the run.
Kansas City finished in the top 10 last season in yards allowed on the ground. They will want to continue that trend into the 2025 season against a team like the Chargers.
The Chargers should have more juice in that area, too. While Slater is a significant loss, they drafted Omarion Hampton in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft. The tantalizing talent has a potent combination of both speed and physicality.
They also signed former-first-rounder and four-time 1,000-yard rusher Najee Harris to back up Hampton. You should see a lot of base defense with Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill and Leo Chenal on the field at the same time due to this style of fight.
The Chiefs will find much more success from their pass rush and secondary if they can make the Herbert-led offense one-dimensional.
One thing is clear: Spagnuolo will take this divisional game seriously, whether it comes to stopping the run or the pass. The DC cannot afford to hold things back with week one coming against a divisional foe this year.
“I mean, listen, these early games, especially a divisional game, we’re probably not going to hold anything back because we’ve got to win the division games,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said. “So, there’s not a portion of that, that we’re trying to hide anything.”
What does Travis Kelce look like?
Kelce came into camp clearly in better shape than he was throughout the 2024 season. He looked rather vintage in the Chiefs' final preseason exhibition as well.
The catch-and-run and his patented “shimmy-and-get-upfield” were on full display.
With Rashee Rice suspended, Kelce is still Mahomes' most reliable and most trusted asset. With Minter preaching a heavy zone concept, that should play into one of Kelce’s greatest strengths, which is to exploit the soft spots.
Then there is Kelce’s history against the LA rival. In 20 games, the vet has totaled 112 catches, 1,357 yards and eight touchdowns.
Kelce likely still leads the Chiefs in catches tonight.
Three TDs earn Mahomes another record
Tonight marks Mahomes’ ninth NFL season and eighth as a starter. It is that last part that makes this particular record all the more impressive.
15 is already just three touchdowns away from passing Peyton Manning for the most touchdowns by any quarterback in NFL history through nine seasons.
Manning holds the record at 293. Mahomes sits at 291 but is currently also trailing Russell Wilson, who tossed for 292 by the end of season nine.
Make football fun again
Mahomes mentioned the word fun this week when describing his excitement level for the 2025 season.
“I mean, I’m super excited, you know? You get to go out there and play the game that you love,” Mahomes said. “And we got a lot of guys that are super hungry and want to go out there and put on a show, and so for us, we have to just go out there with the mentality (of), let’s have some fun playing the game that we love and try to go out there and win football games.”
This is not the first time Mahomes has used that word this offseason. Most of the other times he has mentioned it, it has been in the context of him and the offense getting the deep ball going again.
That is an element that has been missing the last two years, as the offensive line has struggled to buy him time and the receivers have struggled to get on the same page.
Worthy caught a 54-yard bomb from Mahomes against the Chargers last season, so it can be done this evening. He also made similar touchdown grabs in last year's Super Bowl loss against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Between him, Tyquan Thornton and Hollywood Brown, Mahomes would love to spark some “fun” into the offense, “aka” get the deep ball going again.
Injury Report
Chiefs: Omarr Norman-Lott (ankle) is questionable and Jalen Royals (knee) is listed as out.
Chargers: None
Key game details
Location: Arena Corinthians, São Paulo, Brazil
Date: Friday, September 5
Kickoff: 7:00 p.m. CDT
TV/Streaming: YouTube (KSHB 41 locally)
Broadcasters: Rich Eisen, Kurt Warner
Radio: 95.5 The Fan
Head Referee: Carl Cheffers
Betting Line: Chiefs -3 | Moneyline: -165 | Over/Under: 46.5
Weather Forecast: Clear skies, 63°, winds around 10 mph, only a 3% chance of rain
