The NFL is back. And so is international competition. One day after the Philadelphia Eagles topped the Dallas Cowboys to open the 2025 season, the reigning AFC champion Kansas City Chiefs are set to continue the Week 1 action by squaring off with the rival Los Angeles Chargers overseas. It’s the league’s second annual Friday night Brazil game, and the AFC West foes will go head to head in one of the largest cities in the world, putting a pair of potential title contenders on a global stage.
The anticipated matchup also marks a first for broadcasting purposes, as the game will be exclusively — and freely — available to stream (more on that below). But all eyes will be on the field, where Patrick Mahomes and Co. are looking to erase the stink of their Super Bowl LIX blowout at the hands of the Eagles. Appearing in five of the last six championships, the Chiefs are aiming to reimplement splash plays on offense, but they’ll be without top wide receiver Rashee Rice, who’s just beginning a six-game suspension.
The Chargers, meanwhile, are coming off a mostly promising debut under Jim Harbaugh, who led the club to the playoffs in 2024, only to go one-and-done thanks in part to a deflating postseason showing from star quarterback Justin Herbert. Newly stocked in the running backfield, they’re primed to play more old-school ball, even welcoming back old friends like Keenan Allen. Whether they’ve got enough fortitude to outlast their battle-tested rivals on neutral turf is yet to be determined.
Bet Chiefs vs. Chargers on DraftKings Sportsbook, where new users get $300 in bonus bets and over $200 off NFL Sunday Ticket. Click here to get started:
Where to watch Chiefs vs. Chargers Date: Friday, Sept. 5 | Time: 8 p.m. ETLocation: Corinthians Arena (São Paulo, Brazil)Watch: YouTubeFollow: CBS Sports AppOdds: Chiefs -3; O/U 46.5 (via DraftKings Sportsbook)
LIVE updates: Follow along with all the action as the Chiefs take on the Chargers in Week 1
Key questions
Imagn Images
Can the Chargers’ makeshift front hold up? Los Angeles lost Pro Bowl left tackle Rashawn Slater to a season-ending leg injury this summer. That means Joe Alt will shift from right tackle to his college position, leaving Trey Pipkins to man the right side. Both bookends are capable, but the shuffling could result in some hiccups out of the gate. Chiefs edge rusher George Karlaftis is coming off a career-high 28 quarterback hits in 2024; he’ll be Kansas City’s top dog after Herbert.Will Mahomes finally air it out? Back when No. 15 first stormed the NFL stage, he was a big-play machine, launching one bomb after another. Lately, he and the Chiefs have thrived more as a situationally efficient operation, winning on the margins. But Mahomes emphasized reopening the downfield passing attack this offseason. And he’s got speed at his disposal in Xavier Worthy and Marquise Brown. Can those two stay on the field to slip past Los Angeles’ secondary?How will the Chiefs’ new-look offensive line fare? If the Chargers are debuting a new front, the Chiefs are even more desperate for changes in the trenches to pay off. After getting smoked in the Super Bowl, K.C. said goodbye to Joe Thuney and re-upped Trey Smith, then added both Josh Simmons and Jaylon Moore as blind-side blocking possibilities for Mahomes. Simmons, the first-round Ohio State product, will get the first crack at keeping Mahomes clean against L.A.’s pass rush.
New users get $300 in bonus bets with a winning $5 wager at FanDuel Sportsbook. Click here to get started:
Can Chiefs get back to being high-powered? How Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce, Rashee Rice and others will fare
Zachary Pereles
New faces to watch
The Chiefs tend to use a plethora of interchangeable wideouts, and Thornton was a surprise preseason standout, showcasing his deep speed to the point he earned a spot on the club’s final roster. The ex-New England Patriots prospect is behind vets like Brown and Worthy in the pecking order, but after arriving as scout-team depth last fall, he could be in for a real opportunity.
Fulton swapped sides in this rivalry back in the spring, inking a two-year contract to play alongside Trent McDuffie in the Chiefs’ secondary. Originally a second-round pick of the Tennessee Titans in 2020, the sixth-year cornerback will likely rotate with fellow defensive backs Jaylen Watson and Chamarri Conner. Injuries have been a concern, though, including this summer.
Jackson is the man the Chargers signed to replace Fulton on the perimeter. A former Carolina Panthers veteran who spent 2024 with the Pittsburgh Steelers after moving in the latter’s Diontae Johnson trade, he’ll have the benefit of backstop support from Pro Bowl safety Derwin James. Approaching 30, he might also be a vulnerable spot the Chiefs look to attack on deep shots.
Chiefs vs. Chargers prediction
The Chiefs sure looked listless the last time we saw them, but that may have been more a testament to the Eagles’ firepower than an indictment of Kansas City’s future. Yes, there are still questions in the trenches. Yes, Mahomes is in some sense still reliant on a crop of journeymen wideouts. And most of all, the Chargers do appear equipped for scrappy competition, adding Omarion Hampton and Najee Harris as bruising rushing support. But come on. This is the Chiefs we’re talking about. In a prime-time window on a global stage to start the year. We expect this one to be close, with Harbaugh getting a strong showing from both Herbert and his Jesse Minter-led defense, but when things are close, the final score tends to swing in K.C.’s favor.
Pick: Chiefs 26, Chargers 21 | Chiefs -3