Arrowhead Pride
2025’s second game between the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers could represent a fork in the road for each franchise. One is trying to keep the magic of its current dynasty alive. The other is chasing a second playoff appearance in two years under head coach Jim Harbaugh.
This season may ultimately mark a turning point for the AFC — and it began with this matchup. In Week 1, the Chargers jumped out to an early lead that they never relinquished in a 27-21 win over Kansas City. In large part, Los Angeles succeeded by taking an approach the Chiefs did not expect.
“I remember going into that game thinking ‘they will try to control the football with the run game,’” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo recalled of the matchup on Thursday. “I think that first drive, they may have run it twice.”
The Chargers surged to a 10-0 lead early in the second quarter. By the end of the game, quarterback Justin Herbert had collected 25 completions on 34 attempts, racking up 318 yards and three touchdowns. The running backs combined for just 53 yards on 16 attempts — but that stat line didn’t reflect a lack of commitment to the ground game.
“They believe in running the football,” declared Spagnuolo, “so I don’t think we can ever discount that they’re not going to just line up and do what they do running the football.”
That mindset applies to any team coached by Harbaugh, but Herbert gives Los Angeles the ability to punish defenses that overcommit.
“Certainly, the quarterback is an issue, both with his arm and with his feet,” Spagnuolo said. “I think he is playing outstanding.”
Defensive tackle Chris Jones echoed his coach’s assessment, while also pointing to Herbert’s toughness.
“I have much respect for the quarterback,” Jones said on Wednesday. “He’s a tough one. I think he’s playing with a broken left hand right now — and still doing it — so I’ve got much respect for those guys.”
Herbert is now playing behind an offensive line that is less secure. In Week 14, the Philadelphia Eagles sacked him seven times in a game that went to overtime. In September, Kansas City recorded just three sacks against a Los Angeles line that has since lost starting left tackle Joe Alt to injury.
One crucial pass-rushing snap from the Chargers’ Week 1 victory still riles Jones. On a third-and-14 with just over two minutes remaining, he lined up as an edge rusher over the right tackle. Firing off the ball, he made a natural inside move — one that allowed Herbert to escape for a 19-yard run that set up the victory formation.
“The tackle jumped me,” Jones said after the game. “I just should have stayed outside. I blame me. I could have pass-rushed better. [I] could have had a better pass rush. [I] could have contained better. I blame myself.”
But even when Herbert is stuck in a crowded pocket, bringing down the...
