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3 Questions The Chargers Need To Answer In Week 1

Originally posted on Last Word On Sports | By Nate Gosney | Last updated Sep 3, 2025 4:35 PM ET

The Los Angeles Chargers are traveling down to Sao Paulo, Brazil, on Friday to play against the Super Bowl runner-ups, the Kansas City Chiefs. Week 1 against the Chiefs in Brazil is a tough matchup; however, this matchup can answer a plethora of dire questions for the Chargers.

3 Questions The Chargers Need To Answer In Week 1

1. How Does The Najee Harris & Omarion Hampton RB Rotation Go?

It has been well documented that Najee Harris and his injury have been lacking in information. With a “superficial eye injury,” there is not much to report on other than whether he has his eye or not. He has only worn visors and stayed out of the public eye.

After a few short months in the Chargers’ offseason going into Week 1, Harris has gone from rumors that he lost his eye (which was ridiculous from the start) to now a full participant in practice. Questions ranging from him missing the entire season to him potentially getting the bulk workload have been the discourse Chargers fans have been dealing with since the start.

So with all of this discourse, the question still remains: Will Najee Harris take the majority of the carries away from the rookie, Hampton? How does this workload shake out following the Chargers’ Week 1?

2. Which DBs Get Majority Of The Snaps?

Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter has been open in his belief that he has four starting cornerbacks. These CBs are Donte Jackson, Tarheeb Still, Cam Hart, and Benjamin St-Juste. While Chargers fans can get on board with the first three being the starters, many felt disbelief in St-Juste due to his reputation in Washington and his lackluster preseason play.

The Chargers are likely to play only two CBs for the majority of Week 1, due to the three Safety personnel they were extremely successful in running last season. This allows a Nickel package of two CBs, Derwin James, Elijah Molden, and Alohi Gilman.

Now the question lies: Which two CBs get the majority of the defensive snaps? Will week 1 against the Chiefs allow the Chargers to show their hand in who they truly believe in as starting CBs?

3. Can The Chargers Offensive Line Set A Good Foundation In Week 1?

Nov 10, 2024; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers offensive tackle Joe Alt (76), quarterback Justin Herbert (10), guard Jamaree Salyer (68), fullback Scott Matlock (44), center Bradley Bozeman (75), guard Zion Johnson (77), and offensive tackle Rashawn Slater (70) during and NFL game against the Tennessee Titans at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Hanashiro-Imagn Images

The Chargers’ offensive line has gone through much turmoil throughout the entirety of the offseason process. Whether it was the discourse about the interior struggling and how it needs to be upgraded, or it being the injuries sustained before a game was even played, this offensive line has a lot of eyes on it.

The Bolts went out and signed Mekhi Becton to help sure up their interior . They are also expecting a big step forward from second-year tackle Joe Alt. With these improvements, competency was the bare minimum. Then came the Rashawn Slater injury. This arguably placed the Chargers in a worse spot than where they were before.

The final question that needs to be answered is: Is this Chargers offensive line improved? Can they play up to the Chiefs’ defensive line, and “punch above their weight”?

This article first appeared on Last Word On Sports and was syndicated with permission.

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