Why Chiefs Should Feel Good About Season Opener

A season that's of the utmost importance. The last time they played in the NFL, they got dismantled by the Philadelphia Eagles, and their legacy has been put in question by the media and players around the league.

This is a perfect opportunity to demonstrate to the league that they are here to stay, and on a global stage, no less. They have a lot of reasons to feel confident about walking away from Brazil with a win, and one of them is the depleted Chargers' depth on their offensive line.

OL Battle

John Breech is a sports writer for CBS Sports, and he published his predictions on who will win in week one of the NFL season. For the Chiefs, he predicts that it'll be a battle between them and the Chargers on whose offensive line can hold up more, and he trusts the Chiefs more.

"This feels like a game that's going to come down to the play of each team's left tackle. For the Chargers, they used to have one of the best left tackles in the NFL in Rashawn Slater, but he suffered a season-ending injury in August when he tore his Patellar tendon".

Similar to when Mike Williams retired for the Chargers, the Chiefs benefit from them missing out on talent on the offensive side of the ball. Losing Rashawn Slater is a huge hit to their pass protection, and the Chiefs' defensive line will have an easier time disrupting the game for Justin Herbert.

"So now, the Chargers will be moving their right tackle from last season, Joe Alt, over to left tackle. And to fill Alt's spot, they're moving their right guard from last season, Trey Pipkins, to right tackle. As for the Chiefs, the last time we saw them on the field came in Super Bowl LIX in a game where Patrick Mahomes got destroyed".

Thrown Into the Fire

The pressure the Eagles were able to get on Patrick Mahomes was historic, and I doubt the Chargers would be able to replicate that level of success. They'll be throwing Josh Simmons into the fire, and it'll be a test to see if he can hold up against NFL-level pass rushers.

"He was sacked six times and a big reason that happened is because the Chief offensive line couldn't stop anyone. The Chiefs used four different left tackles last season, which isn't ideal, because that's not a position where you want to be using four different players".

The Chiefs' biggest detriment in 2025 is their offensive line. While the Chargers' pass rush isn't on the same level as the Eagles, it'll be a good test to see if they improved or not.

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