In one week, the Kansas City Chiefs will travel to São Paulo, Brazil, to kick off the 2025 season against the Los Angeles Chargers. It’s a division rival that Kansas City has outperformed in recent years, but the South America showdown marks an important start for the Super Bowl runner-up.
The Kansas City Chiefs have openly discussed their Super Bowl LIX loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. They didn’t perform well, and the Eagles were flawless in dismantling the Chiefs’ offense and defense.
With the AFC West showdown approaching, the Chiefs will begin practicing on Sunday for their Friday night game against the Los Angeles Chargers. Of note, the Chargers scored the most points of any team in the preseason, but that doesn’t mean much.
Once again, the national story is biased against the Chiefs. Many experts believe the Chargers or the Denver Broncos will win the AFC West this season. In fact, Kansas City native Nick Wright predicted the Las Vegas Raiders will be a wild-card team.
If that’s the case and people see the AFC West as a genuine race for the top spot, this game becomes even more important for the Chiefs.
Yes, they want to get rid of the stink from the Super Bowl loss, but a win against the Chargers could quickly shift the story and prepare them for the Eagles rematch at Arrowhead the following Sunday.
This team remains a dynasty, and anyone claiming otherwise doesn’t understand the franchise’s core belief. It’s still Super Bowl or Bust! Led by Patrick Mahomes, who changed his offseason routine, cut his hair, and looks more focused than ever.
He wants to prove the Chiefs aren’t finished and that their recent success will continue for the foreseeable future. In other words, he wants to silence the Chiefs’ critics, and a strong performance against the Chargers will set that tone.
A loss makes winning at home against the Eagles in week two a must-win for Kansas City.
Though we saw positive glimpses from the first-team offense and defense in their final tune-up game against the Chicago Bears, Kansas City, fresh off their roster cuts, still has a few questions.
Now that wide receiver Rashee Rice is suspended for six games and rookie Jalen Royals is injured, which receivers will step up for Mahomes to start the season?
Xavier Worthy was the focal point of the offense at the end of the year, and without Rice on the field, that seems to be the plan for 2025. The Chiefs have veterans JuJu Smith-Schuster and Hollywood Brown on the roster, along with young players Tyquan Thornton and Jason Brownlee.
Both kids made incredible progress in a Chiefs uniform, and by making the 53-man roster to start the season, they are the wild cards who need to be seen and be productive from the opening kickoff.
Still, with three solid running backs—Isiah Pacheco, Kareem Hunt, and rookie Brashard Smith—each provides a different option for Mahomes. Combine these backs with the young-looking Travis Kelce, and the tight end room is packed with even more choices for Mahomes.
Lastly, the offensive line has been revamped with the addition of rookie left tackle Josh Simmons and second-year player Kingsley Suamataia at left guard. The jury is still out on the former BYU tackle, but Simmons is already the real deal.
Though the defense is crucial to the Chiefs’ success this season, 2025 depends heavily on Mahomes. If he can average over thirty points of offense per game, Kansas City stands a good chance of an undefeated season.
Should they struggle, this team will resemble the 2024 version, with many close games and outcomes that depend on the final play.
Head Coach Andy Reid and Mahomes want to avoid a season like that. They have dedicated the time since that terrible Super Bowl loss to restoring the 2018 offense.
If they succeed, the rest of the NFL will face the Chiefs with a new level of frustration.
