We’ve finally made it to Week 1, and the Los Angeles Chargers are facing the Chiefs in a prime-time Friday night battle in Brazil.
Here are some things to look out for in this first matchup.
Los Angeles Chargers Vs Kansas City Chiefs
An Epic Quarterback Battle
When quarterback Justin Herbert and Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes square off, there’s always fireworks, and I expect their game in Brazil to be no different.
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Herbert is fully healthy entering this season, so if he can stay protected, he should have a great game. It’s been quite a few years since the Chargers beat the Chiefs, and what better way to start off the season than by beating them in the opener?
Impressive Rookie Wide Receiver Play
Great things are expected from breakout wide receiver Ladd McConkey, and we’re sure to see some Herbert and Keenan Allen chemistry being rekindled in this game. But Herbert has more options this season with rookie wide receivers KeAndre Lambert-Smith and Tre Harris.
Each had some particularly explosive plays during the Los Angeles Rams‘ preseason game and in camp.
Though both will have to split snaps with some of the more established veterans, like Quentin Johnston and Derius Davis, it’ll be interesting to see what spark these two add to the offense, as the Chargers are going to need all the help they can get with this Chiefs team.
A Spark In The Run Game
Running back Najee Harris has been battling an eye injury sustained on July 4 and recently worked his way back to full practices. Harbaugh said Wednesday that Harris is expected to play this week, so we’ll see the running back duo of Harris and rookie Omarion Hampton, and finally get a sense of how these two will play off one another this year.
If Harris doesn’t play a lot, I expect to see plenty of Hampton and a little of running back Hassan Haskins.
The First Test Of The New Offensive Line Configuration
The Los Angeles Chargers are going to have their first real look at their retooled offensive line since the loss of left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending knee injury. And it’ll also be the second year in a row that they’ll have to endure center Bradley Bozeman, whose pass-blocking grade was ranked 53rd of 64 centers in the regular season according to Pro Football Focus (PFF).
Offensive lineman Trey Pipkins III had the fourth-lowest pass blocking grade (49.7%) of the Chargers team during the regular and postseason, and he’ll be at right tackle instead of right guard, while left guard Zion Johnson allowed a career high in sacks (seven) last year and will remain at that same position.
Offensive tackle Joe Alt, who will now be at left tackle instead of right, is actually one of two pieces of this line that Chargers fans can be the most confident in, given how he performed last year. And the second piece to be confident in is right guard Mekhi Becton; however, he was just added to the injury report with an illness and is questionable.
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Defensive lineman Chris Jones had a day against the Los Angeles Chargers in their first matchup last year, so he and others like Chiefs defensive end George Karlaftis and linebacker Nick Bolton will be the ones to worry about.
At least for the first game this year against the Chiefs, Alt will be available, as he was injured when they played them in Week 4 of 2024, so that should certainly help. And at least we don’t have to have Johnson at center.
This game is a great stress test for how the rest of the season may look.
An Initial Look At The Cornerback Room
The cornerback battle was an intense one during training camp, with players going in and out due to injury. But the Los Angeles Chargers finally settled on their picks of Tarheeb Still, Donte Jackson, Cam Hart, Benjamin St-Juste, Eric Rogers, Ja’Sir Taylor, Deane Leonard, and Nikko Reed.
Rogers and Leonard are on injured reserve right now, so they won’t be a factor right away. It will be interesting to see second-year players like Hart and Still finally coming into their own after breakout seasons, while players like Jackson and St-Juste will be trying to make an impact in their first regular-season game in LA.
And rookie Reed looks to build off an impressive training camp.
Daniel Popper of The Athletic noted that despite some productive plays in camp from this group, injuries put a damper on the unit, and also remarked that safety Derwin James Jr.’s defensive positioning can impact them.
“If James is at nickel or at safety in the base defense, the Chargers have two open spots at cornerback on the outside. If James is at safety in nickel packages or playing dime ’backer, the Chargers have three open spots, two on the outside and one at nickel. Still and Taylor can play both nickel and on the outside. St-Juste, Hart, and Jackson have played solely on the outside in camp so far.”
So this is the first glimpse as to how they’ll be used and which configurations will work for James. The Chargers will certainly need to get it right to slow down the likes of Chiefs wide receivers like Xavier Worthy and Hollywood Brown, as well as tight ends Noah Gray and Travis Kelce.
This will also mark Hart’s first sustained game action, besides a few plays in the third preseason game, since having offseason surgery on a torn labrum, so it’ll show if he’s healthy enough to make an impact against a tough opponent and start the season the right way.