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SÃO PAULO, Brazil — The Chargers and Kansas City Chiefs square off in Brazil on Friday night, just the second regular-season NFL game in the Southern Hemisphere, and both teams are looking to bounce back from poor performances.
The Chargers are eight months removed from a hopelessly flat showing in a first-round playoff loss to the Houston Texans. The Chiefs, meanwhile, made it to the Super Bowl but had no answers for the Philadelphia Eagles in a lopsided loss.
Now, these AFC West foes meet on neutral ground to resume what hasn’t been much of a rivalry of late. The Chiefs have beaten the Chargers seven times in a row, last losing to them in 2021 in Kansas City when Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert threw four touchdown passes and the Los Angeles defense intercepted Patrick Mahomes twice.
The AFC West might have the greatest collection of NFL head coaches ever assembled in a single division. Each of them knows not to underestimate the other.
“One thing you can expect from an Andy Reid-coached team is that they’ll be ready,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said, adding he is anticipating some “un-scouted looks” from the Chiefs, considering it’s an opener and Kansas City wasn’t going to put anything on tape in the preseason that might help an opponent.
Harbaugh, hired in 2024, has a history of improved teams in his second season as coach.
The Chargers open the season with three consecutive divisional matchups, something that hasn’t happened for them since 1988.
“This is huge,” Harbaugh said. “You want to start your season off on the right foot.”
How the Chargers can win: Keep Herbert upright, as the Chiefs will look to exploit the reshuffled offensive line. Establishing the run is mandatory to keeping Kansas City’s defense honest. On defense, the Chargers need to contain Mahomes and not allow him to run around and turn unscripted plays into big gains.
How the Chiefs can win: Attack the interior of the Chargers’ offensive line, a weakness exploited by Houston in the playoffs. Like the Chargers, establish the run, something they should be able to do more effectively than last season because Isiah Pacheco is healthy. Give Mahomes time to find his speedy receivers on the outside.
Micah Parsons making his debut for the Green Bay Packers isn’t the only notable storyline to follow as a new NFL season kicks off.
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Key injuries
Chargers: Team healthy before the opener with just two players on injury report: S Elijah Molden (knee) and RB Najee Harris (eye), although both were full participants in practices this week.
Chiefs: WR Jalen Royals (knee) out.
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How to watch and listen to Chiefs vs. Chargers
The Chiefs and Chargers will play at 5 p.m. PDT on Friday at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo, Brazil. The game will be streamed live on YouTube nationally for free and will be broadcast on NBC in the Los Angeles area. In Southern California, fans can listen to the game on 98.7 FM, 640 AM and 105.5 FM (Español).
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Betting lines for Chiefs vs. Chargers
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Who will win Chiefs vs. Chargers?
Sam Farmer’s pick: The Chiefs swept this matchup last season, but only by a total of nine points, so these games are close. The Chargers are going to break through at some point, having lost seven in a row to Kansas City. But I like Reid and Mahomes in this one, especially if the Chiefs can establish the run, something they struggled to do last season. Chiefs 24, Chargers 20
