“A revenge tour,” their running back called it a day before its inception.
But it looked like more an encore of the last time we saw the Chiefs — at least for for awhile.
The Chargers blitzed the Chiefs in the first half and held on for a 27-21 win in the season opener at Neo Química Arena in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
The Chiefs’ offense took too long to get going.
The Chiefs’ defense never did.
Here are five observations from immediately after the game:
1. A revamped Chiefs offense? Not quite.
The Chiefs’ offense found a bit of rhythm in the second half, though it required some magic from their quarterback. But their initial 27 plays totaled 92 yards. The first 17 Patrick Mahomes passes totaled 57.
The Chiefs once ran 16 plays on a drive, and they still could get only 49 yards and a field goal.
They lined up seven third downs in the first half — a down that has proven their cheat code over the last seven years. Those seven tries produced zero first downs.
Everything just looks difficult — same as it did a year ago.
They got it going after halftime, but Mahomes and the offense will be (and should be) preoccupied with the lack of first-half in their post-game assessment, and particularly the first quarter, when they were handed the ball three times and turned it into just 28 yards.
That’s where the game was lost.
Well, and here:
2. The coverage
Jaden Hicks isn’t going to enjoy the film.
Nor will Chamarri Connor.
And for that matter, probably not defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, either.
Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert topped 300 yards — and averaged more than 9 yards per dropback.
He had a favorite target: Whomever the safeties were guarding.
Hicks gave up not one but the final two touchdowns.
Connor, per the preliminary PFF data that will be reviewed, was targeted five times. The result? Five completions.
The Chiefs looked like a team that missed safety Justin Reid.
3. The Xavier Worthy injury
The Chiefs spent the spring remodeling their wide receiver room.
One series into the season, it’s already thin.
Worthy collided with Travis Kelce on their underneath crossing patterns on the initial third down of the game and injured his shoulder. He did not return.
Worthy entered the NFL with the reputation of a deep threat, but 53 of his 59 receptions last year were within 10 yards of the line of scrimmage or behind it.
That’s the Rashee Rice role, even if from a player with a drastically different build.
The offense is predicated on turning short catches into big gains, and the Chiefs played without their two most explosive players in that area — Rice is serving a six-game suspension, and they lost Worthy one series into the game with the shoulder injury.
Rookie Jalen Royals also didn’t make the trip to South America because of knee tendinitis.
It’s an issue.
Again.
And already.
4. The deep shot
A gift from Omarion Hampton offered the Chiefs a last-ditch effort before halftime.
Tyquan Thornton seized it.
Mahomes found wide receiver Thornton for a 38-yard catch, setting up a wild but perfectly executed scramble for a field goal to end the half.
So the deep shot is back, right?
Well, about that.
It was not only the Chiefs’ only downfield completion — a statistic on throws 20 yards beyond the line of scrimmage — but it was their only completion 10 past the line of scrimmage through three entire quarters.
That’s not exactly a revolutionary change to an offense. And the aforementioned circumstances at wide receiver don’t help that cause.
5.. What ... er ... where is the rush?
Jim Harbaugh. A first-round rookie running back.
So, naturally, the Chargers came out in the season opener ... throwing the ball?
They dropped back 21 times in the opening half against just nine carries. It still took advantage of the same group. The Chiefs’ pass rush was non-existent, bringing Justin Herbert to the ground only once in the 21 dropbacks — and that came on a technicality. George Karlaftis got Herbert about half a yard behind the line of scrimmage.
Drue Tranquill, a linebacker, not a defensive lineman, burst through the line on a blitz for two sacks in the second half. The Chiefs brought a lot of blitzes.
They had to.
But with Chris Jones, Karlaftis and draft capital, the Chiefs have invested enough in the defensive line that it has to produce on its own.
For all that talk of the Chargers running the ball over and over, well, where was the need?