Los Angeles Chargers vs. Kansas City Chiefs 2025 Week 1: Game Analysis
- Tyler Lawrence
- 20 hours ago
- 7 min read
The Los Angeles Chargers kick off their 2025 NFL season against the Kansas City Chiefs on September 5 at Arena Corinthians in São Paulo, Brazil, in the NFL’s first YouTube-streamed game. This AFC West showdown pits the Chargers, fresh off an 11-6 campaign in 2024, against the Chiefs, who’ve ruled the division with nine straight titles. The Chiefs winning culture starts in the front office, with a strong coaching staff and a roster full of dynamic playmakers on both sides of the ball. Knocking them off their pedestal is no easy task, but the Chargers aim to do so this season.
Quarterback: Patrick Mahomes
Make no mistake, Patrick Mahomes is still the leagues best player. Since taking over as the starter in 2018, Mahomes has appeared in 5 Super Bowls, winning 3, is a 2X NFL MVP winner, and never finished worse than playing in the AFC Conference Championship. Mahomes already ranks 30th in career passing touchdowns and isn’t even 30 years old yet. He continues to stack career milestones faster than any active player.
Running backs: Isiah Pecheco and Kareem Hunt
There may be no angrier runner in the league than Isiah Pecheco. His intensity and physicality is one of the most identifying characteristics you’ll see of any running back in the league. When he gets a full head of steam, his body shakes, like it can contain all the built up energy in his body, and it only releases upon contact. It makes him a dangerous weapon, especially in 1-on-1 tackle situations. Last season, Pecheco was only healthy for 7 regular season games, but he aims to pick up where he left off in 2023 where he rushed for just shy of 1,000 yards and 7 scores.
Kareem Hunt made his return to KC last season, taking over for Pecheco. He finished the year with 728 yards rushing and 7 rushing scores. He’s a shell of his former self at 30 years old, but he’s productive in short yardage situations. He compliments Pecheco well as a between the tackles runner, but doesn’t have the 2nd gear he once had. Still, he’s one of the better backups and give KC a dynamic duo in the backfield.
Wide Receivers: Xavier Worthy, Hollywood Brown, Juju Smith-Schuster, Jalen Royals
Rashee Rice is the Chiefs best receiver, but he is suspended 6 games to start the regular season for a hit and run incident that occurred in March 2024. The Chiefs drafted Xavier Worthy in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s holds the record for the fastest 40-yard-dash and stretches the field both vertically and horizontally. Worthy had a fine rookie season, with 59 receptions for 638 yards, and 6 touchdowns, but he is more of a complimentary piece than a true X-factor . Hollywood Brown is entering his 7th season in the NFL, where he has 1 season over 1,000 yards receiving in 2021.
Juju Smith-Schuster once had a 1,400-yard season early in his career, but that was more of a one-hit wonder. He hasn’t reached a high like since, and his role has been more as a depth piece the last few years. He’s primarily a slot receiver who works the middle of the field as a possession receiver. This opens an avenue for Jalen Royals, the Chiefs rookie 4th-round pick, who will be the Chiefs only primarily boundary receiver for this game. Andy Reid has become a fan of speedy slot receivers, from Tyreek Hill, to Skyy Moore, to the current set of speedy receivers currently on the roster.
Tight Ends: Travis Kelce, Noah Gray
The newly engaged Travis Kelce may be playing his final season. Even in a year where Kelce looked noticeably slower, he still had 823 yards receiving in 2024, which ranked 5th, and he finished top-5 in fantasy points. Kelce’s run-after-catch ability isn’t what it used to be, but no player is better at finding space when Mahomes starts playing hero ball. He’s continues to be productive and still is one of the best safety valves in the league when the Chiefs need a first down. Noah Gray will back him up as a complementary tight end in heavy sets. Gray was an under the radar receiver last season, catching 83% of his targets for 423 yards.
Offensive Line: LT Josh Simmons, LG Kingsley Suamatia, C Creed Humphrey, RG Trey Smith, RT Jawaan Taylor
The Chiefs have continued to poor resources into their offensive line. It has plagued them at times, most noticeably in their two Super Bowl losses. They have shuffled plans at both tackle positions year after year. This year, they replaced OG Joe Thuney for Kingsley Suamatia, signed OT Jaylon Moore who now becomes a depth piece, drafted Josh Simmons from Ohio State who becomes a rookie starter at LT, franchise tagged OG Trey Smith, and made C Creed Humphrey the highest paid center in the league. They are big, deep, and should be one of the better offensive lines in the NFL. Last season, PFF graded them as the 13th best PBLK unit and 15th best RBLK unit while nursing injuries. They have youth, which provides them longevity, but there are unknowns on how the left side of the line will hold up with inexperience as first time starters. Both Simmons and Suamatia are highly drafted players who offer a ton of upside.
Defensive Line: Edge George Karlaftis, DT Chris Jones, DT Omarr Norman-Lott, Edge Mike Danna
The star of this group is Chris Jones, who is one of the best interior pass rushers in the league. He may have only had 5 sacks last season, but he finished 2nd in total pressures with 74. He is a stout run defender, that creates havoc between the tackles. Former Tennessee Volunteer, Omarr Norman-lott, was one of the better pass rushers in college football last season, but he he’s still a developmental piece as a run defender. George Karlaftis recently signed a $93M contract extension as an ascending pass rusher whose contract value ranks in the top-15 in annual average. His 61 pressures last season ranked 13th most. Mike Danna has been a mainstay in the Chiefs defensive line since 2020, though he runs hot and cold on a week to week basis.
Linebackers: Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, Leo Chanel
The trio of Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill, and Leo Chanel is a solid linebacker core. Bolton is the leader of the group, and has a magnet that draws him to ball carriers. He had a crazy 180 tackles in 2022, though he missed a career high 14.4% of his tackle attempts last season. Charger fans are more than familiar with Drue Tranquill, who is one of the better pass coverage linebackers. Leo Chanel is a rotational player who doesn’t miss tackle opportunities, can be a situational pass-rusher. He was the highest PFF-graded linebacker for the Chiefs last season, while playing about half the snaps Tranquil and Bolton played last season.
Defensive Backs: CB Trent McDuffie, CB Kristian Fulton, CB Jaylen Watson, S Bryan Cook, S Chamarri Connor
Trent McDuffie has become a premier cornerback in the NFL, allowing a reception on 60% of his targets, and getting 2 picks last season. He is prone to penalties (9), and still allowed 6 touchdowns last season, so he can be a boom-or-bust defender. His 80.6 PFF coverage grade ranked top-10 among cornerbacks and he follows the opposing teams top receiver week in and week out. Kristian Fulton had somewhat of a career resurgence with the Chargers last season that earned him a 2 year- $20M contract with the Chiefs. Jaylen Watson is a boundary corner who did not allow a touchdown last season, and had a 75.3 NFL Passer rating when targeted.
Chamarri Conner is the chiefs box safety who plays primarily in the slot for the chiefs. He allowed a reception in over 80% of his targets, and missed 18% of his tackle attempts. Bryan Cook is the Chiefs single high saftey who is a solid run defender, but doesn’t allow much over the top.
Gameplan
The Chiefs use speed to stretch the field both vertically and horizontally. Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown are among the fastest players in the NFL. This forces defenses to play off and cover the deep part of the field and opens up space underneath for Travis Kelce. When the play breaks down, Patrick Mahomes will get out of the pocket and force defenses to respect his ability to pick up first downs with his legs, while always looking for a dump off option across the opposite side of the field. Time and time again, you’ll see Mahomes throw cross body to Kelce while scrambling. The Chiefs also like to use misdirection pre-snap, odd formations, and trickery to force defenses into communication errors. The Chargers have to remain disciplined in their responsibilities, and contain mahomes inside the pocket. Mahomes is no stranger to taking risks and can be turnover prone while he’s playing hero ball.
Offensively, the Chargers want to run the ball. They signed Mekhi Becton to help be a people mover in the run game and they brought in two power backs to wear down defenses. The X-factor for the Chiefs is Chris Jones that can distrupt the interior of the offensive line in both interior pressure, and being a nusense against the run. The Chargers have to establish a strong run game early in the season and keep the ball out of Mahomes hands. The Chargers built this offense to push people in the run game, while using Ladd McConkey and Keenan Allen as route-runners to keep chains moving on 3rd-down. Control the clock, and control the line of scrimmage!
Chiefs-Chargers games are always close contests. This will be the first of two games for the Chargers against the Chiefs and they will not have home-field advantage against the Chiefs this season. If the Chargers want to change the narrative, coming out with a week-1 win is imperative to there success and building up momentum early. Get ready for Friday Night Lights!
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