The Kansas City Chiefs have several advantages over the Los Angeles Chargers in a Week 1 matchup coming up on Friday in Brazil. There's obviously the quarterback discrepancy and Chris Jones' dominance on the offensive line, on top of Travis Kelce's superior tight end play.
However, there's one surprise Chief who will determine if Kansas City delivers as three-point favorites (FanDuel Sportsbook) and defeats a division rival.
Most fans expect the new-look offensive line to ultimately decide the contest, but it's actually a newly re-signed defensive lineman who will have the biggest impact.
George Karalaftis is tied with a lot of other guys for 37th in all-time postseason sacks with 8.
— Patrick Allen (@RPatrickAllen) August 28, 2025
If he gets two more, he'll have more than Neil Smith & be tied with Nick Bosa.
If he gets four more, he'll move into the top ten and be tied with Too Tall Jones & Reggie White.… pic.twitter.com/xKji7ELa3l
Chiefs DE George Karlaftis Will Decide if KC Beats Chargers in Week 1
It's hard to believe it's true, but 24-year-old defensive end George Karlaftis could go down as one of the best playoff defenders in the history of the sport.
He's already second all-time in Chiefs history in postseason sacks, and as pointed out by Arrowhead Addict's Patrick Allen, 'Furious George' needs just six playoff sacks to enter the top four in the history of the league. At his age, it's almost a certainty that he'll at least challenge for that mark. He's perhaps the most underrated defender in the NFL, and Kansas City rightly rewarded him with a four-year, $88 million contract extension that'll keep him with the Chiefs during his athletic prime.
Why is he the biggest X-factor in this game? Standout tackle Rashawn Slater's injury. The two-time Pro Bowler is considered to be one of the elite tackles in the sport, and pairing him with former Notre Dame star Joe Alt gave Los Angeles a devastating duo. Unfortunately, Slater won't be playing, and that will allow defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo to deploy Karlaftis in nefarious ways.
Whether it means lining Jones and Karlaftis both up on the outside or stacking the line to put pressure on Slater's backup, Trey Pipkins, it'll likely be an effective strategy. Pipkins ranked 86th out of 136 qualified guards at Pro Football Focus and now has to play tackle, so there will obviously be a learning curve. The Chiefs' strategy will try to take advantage of that, and Karlaftis will be the focal point.
If Karlaftis has a good game, Kansas City will win. If he doesn't, then the Chargers actually have a chance. With 24.5 sacks during his first three seasons, it's fair to assume that Karlaftis will at least challenge Jim Harbaugh's group. Their offense hasn't scored over 20 points in four straight contests between these AFC West rivals teams and if a team doesn't put up 20+ on the Chiefs, they often lose.
That's what makes this particular matchup so important. Karlaftis can disrupt a defense that's focused on Jones and trying to prevent cornerback Trent McDuffie from making a big play in the secondary, and those are three elite players that're hard to compensate for.
The offensive line will be the main talking point, but Karlaftis' first game after his extension is the real story.