The Chiefs played their first game in South America on Friday night, losing 27-21 to the Los Angeles Chargers in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
Here are some observations about Kansas City’s season-opening defeat so far from home:
The turning point: A pin in any defensive swagger on third-and-15
The game’s defining stretch unfolded over three possessions, each with a pivotal play.
Trailing after two lethargic quarters, the Chiefs gained life when Chargers rookie Omarion Hampton mistakenly ran out of bounds, giving Kansas City one last possession before the end of the half.
After two deep misfires, Patrick Mahomes finally connected with Tyquan Thornton deep to get within field-goal range. As time ticked away in the second quarter on fourth down, Noah Gray ran the ball to the referee for the spot and Harrison Butker nailed a 59-yarder to make it a seven-point game at halftime.
The Chiefs opened the half with a defensive three-and-out and an ensuing touchdown. Then Butker missed the extra point — a deflating moment and a blow to what had been growing momentum.
Kansas City looked to have captured its rhythm on the next drive, especially when Drue Tranquill sacked Justin Herbert to force third-and-15. But then the unit faltered, giving up a 14-yard play to Quentin Johnston on the next down.
Jim Harbaugh kept the offense on the field at the Chargers’ own 35 to pick up a first down on what would become a lead-extending touchdown drive.
This is where the game was lost for the Chiefs.
Rapid reaction: Mahomes Magic isn’t powerful enough to overcome that slow of a start
Entering the game, the Chargers were branded as a tough, Jim Harbaugh-coached run-first team, but they really didn’t stick to the script
Friday night’s grand reveal showed the complete opposite. Herbert threw the ball 34 times, completing 25 passes for 318 yards and three touchdowns. For the most part, the Chiefs’ defensive front could not penetrate the Chargers’ offensive line, providing Herbert the necessary time to hit receivers consistently open by several steps.
Kansas City’s defense did an admirable job against the run, but the secondary got burned to the point that it did not matter.
Advertised as a resurgent unit, the Chiefs’ offense punted three straight times to start the game, clearly impacted by the quick departure of Xavier Worthy. The Chiefs managed to score just six points in first half.
The special teams unit’s late second-quarter heroics felt like it could’ve been a pivotal shift in momentum, but as impressive as the shotgun 59-yard field goal was, the missed extra point after the touchdown proved just as important in the other direction.
In the second half, you could make the case that Mahomes single-handedly pushed the Chiefs back in the game with timely scrambles for first downs, a Superman third-down conversion to JuJu Smith-Schuster and an incredible fourth-down heave to Hollywood Brown. But the slow offensive start, combined with the defensive failure, proved to be too much to overcome.
The bottom line? The Chiefs can’t come out that flat again and expect to rely on Mahomes magic to win on a weekly basis.
Critical stat: Third down was a major problem in the first half
The Chiefs were 0-for-7 on third downs in the first half. They were 5-of-7 in the second half, but it was too little, too late.