Chiefs face early season nightmare if Brazil game goes sideways

The playoffs are not something that can be earned in Week 1 of the season. But for both the Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers, getting off to a solid start on Friday night is growing increasingly critical.

This being a division rivalry game to open the season heightens the importance of this matchup even more. Sure, there is a long season afterward, regardless of who wins or loses. But in the end, nabbing a victory in the division early this year appears to be as substantial as ever.

Pressure always feels high inside of these AFC West showdowns. Even with how long Kansas City has owned the division, it never gets any easier for the Chiefs to maintain their status at the top. You could argue that this year's division makeup is as challenging as it has been so far in the Patrick Mahomes era.

In some ways, the Chiefs and the Chargers face similar questions going into their international meeting on Friday. Because of those factors, the immense pressure in Week 1 is mounting for each team to come through.

The importance of an early AFC West edge

The AFC West is consistently competitive. Yet, the ways in which the division improved this year create even more value in getting an early division victory. The Raiders, on paper, open a season with their most competent quarterback-head coach duo in a good while.

Denver is receiving plenty of hype as being a true challenger to the top of the AFC hierarchy come playoff time. And with the Chargers, they are continuously going to be better prepared under their current regime than they were previously.

Being able to start 1-0 for a division meeting in this year's AFC West may appear small in the overall standing for a lengthy campaign. Nonetheless, a single head-to-head rivalry win could quickly make or break one of these teams' playoff hopes come January.

Getting ahead of upcoming tough schedules

Being able to start 1-0 is beneficial for many reasons. How the team feels in practice the next week during preparation can be greatly affected by the outcome. Plus, how loose a squad may come out in the second game could be a major sticking point, based on the first opportunity of the season. But for both the Chiefs and the Chargers, pressure to start 1-0 is also affected by what lies immediately after this trip to Brazil.

Kansas City and Los Angeles each face daunting stretches on their schedule early in the season. Of course, no NFL game is ever truly easy. Overall, the upcoming schedules for each team after this game are among the toughest in the league during the early going.

The Chiefs will see the Eagles, Ravens, and Lions over parts of the following five games. All of those teams are looking at winning their conference after how they have fared in the last few seasons.

Meanwhile, the Chargers have two more division games after this one in Brazil as well. L.A. goes to Vegas to play the Raiders on Monday Night Football in Week 2. Then, they host the Broncos afterward in Week 3. A home game against the intriguing Washington Commanders also comes soon after for the Bolts in Week 5.

Battling personnel questions early in the season

Pressure for both the Chiefs and the Chargers lies in personnel, too. No team is absent of roster weaknesses, especially opening up a new year. On the Kansas City side of things, the focus immediately goes to the offensive skill players. Who routinely comes through as Mahomes' top targets at wide receiver? With Rashee Rice unavailable due to a suspension, getting that early rhythm at wide receiver is critical for Kansas City's offense out of the gate.

As for the Chargers, the offensive line was already facing multiple questions. Where Zion Johnson was going to line up was an early hurdle to iron out in training camp. But now, Rashawn Slater is out due to injury at the left tackle position. The young Joe Alt is already heavily trusted at this stage of his career.

But now, Los Angeles has to throw Trey Pipkins III back into the fire with Slater not in the mix. We have seen how that story has played out before. Getting comfortable early will be very important for the Chargers' hopes this season, given the pass rushers they will see in the first few weeks in the AFC West.