Kansas City Chiefs vs. Chargers: Live commentary, updates from opener in Brazil
The 2025 NFL season begins in a unique way for the Kansas City Chiefs, who are in Sao Paulo, Brazil, facing one of their division rivals.
Patrick Mahomes, Travis Kelce and company will face the Los Angeles Chargers to open another season filled with Super Bowl aspirations. The Chiefs have been to five of the last six Super Bowls and won three championships in that time.
Mahomes, notably, has never fallen short of the AFC Championship Game as a full-time starter.
Today’s game is streaming free nationwide on YouTube, but will also be available to watch on KSHB 41 (NBC) in Kansas City. You can listen on radio via KFNZ (96.5 FM) in the KC area, and KNSS (98.7 FM) around Wichita.
KC Chiefs vs. Chargers in Brazil: Stats, score updates and commentary
Follow live commentary from our team of reporters and columnists, including The Star’s Sam McDowell and Vahe Gregorian in Sao Paulo, below.
You can also see live stats, scores and play-by-play updates.
Three storylines for Chiefs-Chargers
1. Josh Simmons and the new-look offensive line
The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff noted there will be plenty of attention on the rookies Friday, perhaps none more so than first-round offensive tackle Josh Simmons. The Chiefs’ left tackle spot was about as bad as it gets last year, and the team caught a break when Simmons dropped in the first round, in part because of injury concerns.
By all accounts, Simmons is ahead of schedule, and the Chiefs have reiterated their belief in his talent and ability, even as a rookie. If he’s as advertised, he’ll bolster a unit that already includes interior O-line standouts Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith.
Oh, and don’t forget about right tackle Jawaan Taylor, who said he played last year with an injury. Simmons and left guard Kingsley Suamataia are the question marks, but there’s plenty of reason for optimism.
2. The Chiefs’ offense without Rashee Rice
The Chiefs were used to playing without their top receiving options last year — both Rice and Hollywood Brown missed significant time due to injury. And they’ll again be down some firepower to start the year while Rice serves a six-game suspension.
But there’s certainly excitement around Year 2 of Xavier Worthy, and the same is true of the new-look offensive line that could give Mahomes more time. Add to the list a refocused Travis Kelce, who hopes for a more productive 2025, and the Chiefs’ offense could resemble more of the early Mahomes years than the recent ones.
3. First impressions from KC’s defense
The Chiefs have turned into one of the NFL’s top defensive teams under Steve Spagnuolo, and that’s earned players like Nick Bolton, George Karlaftis and, of course, Chris Jones, some pretty hefty paydays. But this KC team looks a little different from last year’s unit, namely with no more Justin Reid and Tershawn Wharton.
Cornerback Kristian Fulton is still getting acclimated, and there are some questions about the DBs after the somewhat surprising release of Mike Edwards. There’s certainly talent in the room, but a lot of it is young.
We should learn more about that group Friday.
This story was originally published September 5, 2025 at 3:30 PM.
