Chargers' Brazil showdown with Chiefs gets ripped by Travis Kelce

The Los Angeles Chargers spotlight in the NFL’s international push with a Friday night game in Week 1 in São Paulo, Brazil against the Kansas City Chiefs. 

That AFC West clash is part of a three-game sprint for the Chargers against divisional foes to open the season, something Los Angeles hasn’t had to do in nearly 40 years. 

On the topic of playing in Brazil in September, though, we haven’t seen players say all that much just yet. 

One notable voice, though? Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, who spoke about going down there before the NFL even revealed the game—and he didn’t have many nice things to say about the likely sweltering heat. 

Kelce dropped the comments on his New Heights podcast: “There’s just something about getting closer to the equator that I don’t want to put on a football uniform doing that. I’ve been in Jacksonville in September and that’s —---- miserable.”

So there’s that, at least. The Chargers are probably a little more acclimated to playing in high temperatures. Maybe that will give them an edge when it comes to stopping the future Hall of Famer Kelce, who caught seven of nine passes for 89 yards in his first meeting with the Chargers last year, then five of six for 45 in the second, both Kansas City wins. 

We’ll see what Chargers players have to say about the matchup as more arrive and get to work in the coming weeks, but for now, one of the biggest names in the game has made his thoughts clear.