The Kansas City Chiefs' 2025 season kicks off Friday night against the Los Angeles Chargers in Brazil. It is an obviously important divisional matchup, not allowing Jim Harbaugh's group any hope of surpassing the league's prestigious franchise. While Los Angeles always plays the Chiefs close, there is reason to wonder if this game might be different. All offseason, the Chiefs have been forced to sit in their failure. A chance to win three straight Super Bowls slipped through their fingers and led to a lot of criticism of Patrick Mahomes.
Mahomes didn't play well, but he was never given a chance. This game is the quarterback's first chance at a response. A blowout win wouldn't be a shock, looking at the offseason of motivation and understanding how long Reid has had to prepare for the game. Even with the concerns at receiver, the Chiefs are going to be locked in on Friday night.
Chiefs Defenders Won't Allow Rookie Standout Omarion Hampton to Get Rolling in Week 1
Both fanbases know going in exactly what Harbaugh and this Chargers offense are going to do. Establishing the run is the trademark of the head coach, whether he has been in Michigan, San Francisco, or Los Angeles. The backfield was rebuilt in the offseason, bringing in veteran Najee Harris and drafting impressive rookie Omarion Hampton. A player that Kansas City's star DC has been going to have circled for the past weeks.
Hampton cannot be allowed to get rolling in this game, or the Chiefs are in trouble. The path to either a close win or blowout is using Chris Jones and your physical front to frustrate the rookie. The Chargers only have one receiver you have a real reason to fear in Ladd McConkey; the rest are aging veterans or unproven.
Steve Spagnuolo's entire focus needs to shift to shutting down the run and forcing Justin Herbert to make plays. Take away what Harbaugh does best, and you're going to win this game. With this in mind, Kansas City fans should fully expect Hampton's debut to go their way, frustrating Charger fans and putting all of the pressure on the star quarterback.
Make this game a matchup of Mahomes vs. Herbert, and you know who is going to come out on top each and every time. As talented as Herbert might be, the signal caller is the complete opposite of clutch when facing the superior starter. Make the game all about him by taking away Hampton, and the Chiefs are going to roll to victory.
It is vital to win this game as well when you look at a Week 2 matchup in Arrowhead against the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chiefs need to give themselves a bit of breathing room to go into the game without a high level of pressure. Only Philly matches up against Kansas City favorably, with the rest of the schedule being incredibly winnable. Making it clear that this game will have the full focus of the franchise, spelling a rough start for Hampton and the Charger ground game.