Chargers defense has Andy Reid worried before season-opening showdown

The Los Angeles Chargers are flying a bit under the radar in the AFC West. Perhaps that's what makes them even more dangerous on Friday versus the Kansas City Chiefs in the season-opening game for both teams.

Any discussion of the AFC West is going to feature the Chiefs front and center after an astounding nine consecutive division titles. It's a run of dominance that has forced every other rival to hit the restart button on more than one occasion in the last decade.

Outside of the Chiefs, the Denver Broncos are this year's media darling, anchored by a deep defense that holds the potential to be the league's best. By the time the rest of the division is mentioned, or even when discussing AFC contenders, it's hard to find someone bullish on the Bolts, given the presence of other teams.

Chiefs head coach Andy Reid isn't one of those persons overlooking what Jim Harbaugh is doing in Southern California.

The Chiefs' head coach highlighted several aspects (and players) to watch on the Chargers' defense.

Harbaugh is in his sophomore season with the Chargers in 2025, and L.A. experienced an exciting leap from 5 wins in 2023 to 11 last year. Now that he's gotten the lay of the land, with a better understanding of what his players can do (and vice versa, as the roster gets to know what Harbaugh's staff is asking of them), the Chargers should be even more dangerous going forward.

Reid addressed this concern when speaking with reporters in preparation for Week 1, a clash with the Chargers in Corinthians Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil.

"They're into that second year or, so you know they've got the offense, defense, and special teams down," Reid said in his opening remarks.

"Jim [Harbaugh] does a great job with that crew of getting them ready. They've got good players, they're well coached. Their coordinators, Greg [Roman] on offense, Jesse [Minter] on defense, and Ryan [Ficken] on the special teams—they're all good coordinators. So it should be a heck of a football game."

Even in his first season with the Chargers, Harbaugh got the most out of his defense with a unit that ranked No. 1 overall in points scored. L.A. allowed only 17.7 points per game out of opponents, and in two battles with the Chiefs, they allowed 18 points per game—right in line with those season-long marks.

While both games were losses for Harbaugh and the Chargers, they were close contests that could have easily gone the other way with just one or two breaks. Reid addressed the team's stout defense, and specifically highlighted two players who are bound to give K.C. fits once again.

"They're a zone team, but the zones are tight, and they have a bunch of different combinations," said Reid. "Most of them can play man, and they do that well, but their zones—they do a heck of a job with that. So you can see why they were ranked so high.

"They're not trying to give up the big play, obviously, but at the same time, be able to attack underneath. They've got good speed on the defense. And those front guys, I mean, 52 [defensive end Khalil Mack], a heck of a player, and that number 3 [safety Derwin James] is not bad either. So they're good players for them."

Both teams have reason for optimism in 2025, and an early win would make an international statement in primetime for both head coaches. For the Chiefs, it would anchor another run toward a 10th AFC West title (and more), but Harbaugh is looking for a signature win and proof that no one should count them out of upsetting expectations in his second year.