Chargers’ Best Weapon Forcing Chiefs Into ‘All-22 Game Plan’ For Brazil Opener

Is Jim Harbaugh The Real Life Ted Lasso?

“He’s dynamic,” defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo said Monday. “It’s going to be hard to put one guy on him. The first slide I put up — I think it might have been last week — I just put up that all 22 have to be aware of where number 15 is. I asked the guys if they knew what I meant by 22. I was talking about 22 eyeballs. [That’s] because [with] the 11 guys, everyone — D-line included — needs to know where he is. We feel that strongly about the way he can affect the game, so that’s going to be a major focus.”

Kansas City got only one look at McConkey last season, but he still made them pay. On the Chargers’ opening drive in Week 7 at SoFi Stadium, Justin Herbert hit the Georgia product on a play-action pass in the back of the end zone, with McConkey toe-tapping the line for a touchdown.

“Yeah, he’s dynamic,” cornerback Trent McDuffie said. “They do a really good job in the run game, and they’ve got good receivers in McConkey and some of the new guys. He’s a handful.”

Intel and Adjustments

The Chiefs are also tapping into extra intel, thanks to cornerback Kristian Fulton, who signed with Kansas City after spending 2024 with the Chargers.

“We went right to Kristian as we got closer to the game and asked him about all the little things that he saw,” Spagnuolo said. “Kristian spoke briefly to the unit this morning about what to expect from certain guys. We use that intel all the time.”

That inside perspective may help, because the Chargers’ offense is deeper than a year ago. Alongside McConkey, Los Angeles added former Steelers running back Najee Harris — who’s cleared to play after a fireworks accident threatened to derail his offseason — while Keenan Allen remains a steadying veteran presence.

“They’ve got a lot of talent over there,” defensive tackle Chris Jones said. “Justin Herbert is always improving. Najee Harris is a heck of a back. Keenan Allen is back, who I have a great amount of respect for. So yeah, it’s going to be a challenge for us.”

Big Stage, Big Challenge

For Kansas City, the Brazil trip is more than a season opener — it’s a chance to reset after last February’s Super Bowl humiliation against Philadelphia. But Jones made clear that the Chiefs’ focus isn’t on redemption just yet.

“It’s very important as a player, and as a fan, [to have] something that drives them beyond just personal goals,” Jones said. “I think that the Super Bowl happened — and you can carry the emotions — but we’ve got the Chargers coming up. So it’s good to have that type of fire going into your first game, but you know we’ve got to focus on the L.A. Chargers.”

And focus is exactly what they’ll need. With Herbert and McConkey forming one of the NFL’s most intriguing young duos, the Chargers won’t just test their defense — they’ll demand all 22 sets of eyes.