Los Angeles Chargers may have just been dealt a major advantage in key early season matchup

The Los Angeles Chargers will kick-off the 2025 regular season with a huge matchup against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs in São Paulo, Brazil.

Beginning the year with a win inside the AFC West would be huge for a Chargers team that is looking for their first division title since 2009, especially against the team that has won it each of the last nine seasons. Los Angeles may have already been dealt a major advantage in the matchup.

Chiefs WR Rashee Rice could be suspended Week 1 vs. Chargers

The NFL has yet to hand down a suspension for Rice, but it is very likely coming soon. Rice was sentenced by a Dallas County judge to five years of probation and 30 days of jail time, stemming from a multi-vehicle crash in 2024 which he was charged with two third-degree felonies.

Rice will certainly get suspended, it's just a matter of when. The NFL usually takes 60-90 days to review cases before issuing a suspension. We are 49 days away from the Chargers' matchup against Kansas City, so they will have to move quicker than usual if they want Rice to begin his suspension right off the bat of the season.

It seems likely that will happen. It doesn't make much sense to suspend a player after allowing him to play a couple of games first, and 49 days is plenty of time to make a determination. It will bode well for L.A. not to have to deal with Rice, who was emerging as one of the best WRs in the league last season before getting injured.

As you probably remember, Rice's 2024 season ended in a matchup against the Chargers in Week 4. He tore his LCL in his right knee when quarterback Patrick Mahomes collided with him while trying to make a tackle after throwing an interception. 

It should be noted that the Chargers ended up losing that game, as well as their Week 14 matchup against K.C. with Rice sidelined. Even if Rice doesn't play in the season-opener, L.A. will have to contend with Chiefs weapons such as Travis Kelce, Xavier Worthy, and Hollywood Brown.