ClutchPoints
The Kansas City Chiefs have built their dynasty on dominance and a flair for winning big games under Patrick Mahomes. The Los Angeles Chargers, meanwhile, are trying to flip the script. After a promising 11-6 season in Jim Harbaugh’s debut as head coach, the Bolts want to prove they’re ready to finally dethrone their AFC West rival. They’ll get their first chance in a global spotlight when the two teams open the season in Brazil. It’s a clash of a perennial powerhouse and a team desperate to prove it belongs among the NFL’s elite. It’s a perfect recipe for an opening-week thriller.
AFC West foes will meet on neutral ground when the Kansas City Chiefs face the Los Angeles Chargers in the 2025 NFL São Paulo Game in Brazil on Friday, Sept. 5. It’s a rare international opener, staged at Neo Quimica Arena with kickoff set for 8 p.m. ET. The stakes couldn’t be higher.
Kansas City, fresh off a 15-2 campaign, has made 10 consecutive playoff trips and remains the standard-bearer of the division. The Chargers, meanwhile, reached the Wild Card round in Harbaugh’s first season but know that respect only comes with beating the Chiefs.
The storyline here is clear: Mahomes and the Chiefs continue their pursuit of yet another Super Bowl. For their part, Justin Herbert and the Chargers are fighting to change the narrative. Los Angeles has lost seven straight games to Kansas City. In fact, Herbert’s career record against Mahomes sits at 2-7. If the Bolts want any hope of making 2025 their year, it starts with winning this matchup. And yet, history suggests otherwise. The Chiefs have made an art of breaking Chargers’ hearts, and Mahomes’ Week 1 dominance is well-documented. This opener will reveal whether the gap has finally closed, or if Kansas City’s dynasty still rules the AFC West.
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Here we will look at and discuss some bold predictions for the game between the Chiefs and the Chargers in Week 1 of the 2025 NFL season.
Mahomes is a Week 1 machine. In seven career openers, he has thrown for 2,059 yards, 21 touchdowns, and just two interceptions. When the spotlight is brightest, Mahomes delivers. Against the Chargers, he’s been nearly as devastating: 3,270 yards, 27 touchdowns, and only seven picks across 12 career meetings. That history is no accident. It’s a combination of Mahomes’ brilliance, Andy Reid’s game-planning, and Travis Kelce’s reliability as his safety valve.
Expect more of the same in São Paulo. The Chargers’ defense is improving, but slowing down Mahomes in Week 1 borders on impossible. He’ll spread the ball around, exploit mismatches, and hit Kelce in key moments. Three touchdowns and nearly 300 yards is a bold call, but with Mahomes’ track record in season openers, it feels like the safest bold prediction of them all.
**McConkey...
