Justin Herbert brought style and substance to South America on Friday night, guiding the Los Angeles Chargers to a 27-21 victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in the NFL’s season opener at Corinthians Arena.
Herbert threw for 318 yards and three touchdowns, and his late scramble sealed the Chargers’ first win over Kansas City since Sept. 26, 2021, snapping a seven-game losing streak against their AFC West rival.
The Chargers’ star quarterback capped the performance with a 19-yard run on third-and-14, sliding for a first down with 2:21 remaining to extinguish the Chiefs’ comeback hopes. He finished 25 of 34 passing and added 32 yards rushing while being sacked three times.
“It felt good to finish the game on our terms,” Herbert said. “That’s a great team we went up against, and we knew it would take all four quarters.”
The game marked the NFL’s second-ever regular-season contest in South America and was streamed exclusively on YouTube. Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar watched from the stands, while pop icon Taylor Swift, newly engaged to Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce, did not attend despite Colombian star Karol G performing at halftime.
Herbert wasted little time setting the tone, hitting second-year receiver Quentin Johnston for a 5-yard touchdown on Los Angeles’ opening drive. The duo later connected again in the fourth quarter on a 23-yard strike that stretched the lead to 26-18 with 5:02 left.
Rookie running back Omarion Hampton made an early miscue before halftime, running out of bounds on third-and-16 when the Chiefs had no timeouts left. That mistake stopped the clock, but Cameron Dicker salvaged the drive with a 36-yard field goal for a 13-3 edge. Kansas City answered when Harrison Butker drilled a 59-yarder just before intermission to cut the deficit to 13-6.
Patrick Mahomes was efficient but not electric, completing 24 of 39 passes for 258 yards and one touchdown. His 37-yard scoring strike to Kelce early in the fourth quarter closed the gap to 20-18, though the 2-point conversion failed.
Mahomes had one last chance to rally the Chiefs after Butker’s 27-yard field goal with 2:34 remaining made it 27-21. But the drive never materialized thanks to Herbert’s decisive scramble moments later.
“We had opportunities and didn’t execute in the red zone,” Mahomes said. “Against a team like that, you can’t leave points on the field.”
Kansas City entered the game thin at wide receiver with Rashee Rice suspended and rookie Jalen Royals sidelined by a knee injury. The situation worsened three plays into the night when rookie Xavier Worthy collided with Kelce and left with a right shoulder injury. He did not return.
The Chargers weren’t immune either. Linebacker Denzel Perryman exited in the third quarter with an ankle injury and did not return.
Tensions spiked in the third quarter when Kelce shoved Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart, who responded with an open-handed strike to Kelce’s helmet. Tart drew an unnecessary roughness penalty but was not ejected.
The Chiefs (0-1) will try to regroup in their Sept. 14 home opener — a Super Bowl rematch with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chargers (1-0) head to Las Vegas to face the Raiders on Sept. 15.
