How Can Chiefs Overcome Disappointing Season Opener

This was a game of missed opportunities and self-inflicted wounds on the Chiefs' behalf. Travis Kelce and Xavier Worthy collided on a crossing route, which led to Worthy being out for the game and potentially the next couple of weeks.

Jawaan Taylor incurred multiple flags all by himself, not including the ones caused by other members of the offensive line and their defense. Overall, this was a game the Chiefs could've walked away from with a win, but they were playing against themselves.

Week 1 Grade

John Breech is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he published an article assigning grades to each NFL team based on their performance in Week 1. For the Chiefs, they earned a C-, with Breech stating that their defense looked hopeless against the Chargers' offense.

"The Chiefs had to play short-handed on offense for the entire game after losing Xavier Worthy to a shoulder injury on the third play from scrimmage. That caused the offense to look sluggish in the first half, but Kansas City's biggest problem wasn't the offense, it was a defense that couldn't stop Justin Herbert", said Breech.

If there's any silver lining to be taken from their week one loss, it's that even with the worst happening and Worthy having to leave the game with an injury, it was still a one-score game. Justin Herbert played the game of his life, and it still felt like the Chiefs could win if they got the ball back one more time.

"For the most part, the Chiefs struggled to get pressure on Herbert as he diced them up for more than 300 yards passing. The defense simply looked slow against a Chargers offense that piled up 394 yards".

The Chiefs' defense, most notably their secondary and pass rush, looked unable to stop Herbert at any point, and he was doing what he wanted on offense. This is even more concerning, knowing that they were missing Rashawn Slater, their Pro Bowl offensive tackle.

"No one is worried about this team after one loss, but this was a below-average performance against a Chargers team that the Chiefs almost always find a way to beat. This might not quite signal a changing of the guard in the AFC West, but it's pretty clear the Chiefs are going to be in a dogfight as they try to win a 10th straight division title this year".

The Chiefs can certainly bounce back from this loss, but there should be serious concerns moving forward. Their defense hasn't looked good in their last two games, and as amazing as Patrick Mahomes is, he can only do so much to make up for the team around him.

Be sure to follow us on X (Twitter) @KCChiefsOnSI and @Domminchella to never miss another news story again