Chargers beat Chiefs in Brazil as Herbert’s three TDs snap skid in historic NFL opener

Sep, 6 2025

A wild first in São Paulo

The NFL planted its flag in Brazil and got a game that felt like January. Under the bright lights in São Paulo, the Los Angeles Chargers outlasted the Kansas City Chiefs 27-21 on Friday, September 5, 2025, delivering the league’s first regular-season game on Brazilian soil and snapping a seven-game skid against their AFC West rivals.

This was more than a showcase. It was a divisional knife fight to open the season. Kansas City arrived as the standard in the West, carrying nine straight division titles and the weight of a recent Super Bowl loss to the Philadelphia Eagles. The Chargers showed up with a simple goal: finally solve Patrick Mahomes and start fresh under a new season’s pressure.

The buildup centered on the quarterbacks, and they delivered in different ways. Justin Herbert played with pace and control, throwing three touchdowns and using his legs when it mattered most. Mahomes fought through a depleted receiver room and leaned on Travis Kelce, whose savvy route-running kept Kansas City in it despite a messy night around him.

Injuries hit the Chiefs hard before the plane even left. Rashee Rice opened the year on suspension. Rookie Jalen Royals was out with a knee issue. Then it got worse in Brazil: first-round pick Xavier Worthy left on the third snap after a collision with Kelce led to a right shoulder injury. The plan had to change on the fly, and it showed early as Kansas City searched for rhythm.

The setting added an edge. São Paulo brought a loud, curious crowd that leaned into every big throw and hit. The league’s push outside North America has been steady—London, Germany, Mexico City—and Brazil felt like the next logical step. The moment didn’t overwhelm the players; it sharpened the urgency. Every third down sounded like a playoff down.

How the game turned

Los Angeles jumped first. A crisp opening script put the Chargers up 7-0 in the first quarter, with Herbert taking easy gains and letting his receivers work after the catch. Kansas City answered with a pair of field goals, but the Chargers kept stacking drives and took a 13-6 lead into halftime. It wasn’t flashy. It was steady, and it forced the Chiefs to chase.

The third quarter brought more points and a shift in tempo. Both teams traded scores, but Los Angeles kept staying a step ahead, protecting a narrow edge and making Kansas City work the long way. The Chargers mixed personnel, used motion to identify coverages, and kept Herbert clean enough to operate. It wasn’t a shootout; it was a tug-of-war with field position and red-zone choices deciding the flow.

Then came the late push everyone expected from Mahomes. Early in the fourth, he spun a 37-yard strike to Kelce, a classic back-shoulder moment between two stars reading the same picture. That cut the Chargers’ lead to 20-18, but the two-point try failed, preserving Los Angeles’ edge. The play broke down under pressure, and the Chiefs had to go back on defense needing one more stop.

The Chargers didn’t blink. Herbert responded with a composed drive that ended in the game’s signature play: a 19-yard scramble where he stepped up, tucked the ball, and split defenders. That first-down run bled time and tilted the math. Kansas City still clawed within a score on a 27-yard Harrison Butker field goal with 2:34 left, making it 27-21, but Los Angeles closed the door with timely tackling and smart situational calls.

Herbert’s line told the story without gaudy yardage totals: three touchdown passes, no panic throws, and the one run that Kansas City couldn’t survive. He didn’t force windows. He took what the defense gave and trusted that yards after contact would handle the rest. It was poised, it was efficient, and it finally cracked the Chiefs’ hold over the matchup.

Mahomes kept Kansas City afloat with his usual improvisation and chemistry with Kelce. But the Chiefs’ margin for error shrank with every snap after Worthy’s exit. Without Rice and Royals, Kansas City leaned even harder on Kelce, backs in the flat, and layered routes to the sticks. Drives were methodical, not explosive, and one failed two-point try ended up as the hinge point.

Los Angeles’ defense earned its share, too. The group tightened in the red zone, held the line on early downs, and forced Kansas City to settle twice in the first half. That kept the Chargers ahead long enough for Herbert to finish the job. The pass rush didn’t need highlight-reel sacks; disciplined rush lanes and swarming tackles were enough to disrupt timing.

For the Chargers, the breakthrough carries weight well beyond the final horn. They hadn’t beaten the Chiefs since September 26, 2021. Herbert, now deeper into his prime, finally has his second career win over Mahomes, and he got it in a place the league will remember. For a team that’s been criticized for late-game stumbles, this was a clean, grown-up finish in a pressure spot.

Kansas City won’t panic after one loss, but this was their second straight setback dating back to the Super Bowl defeat against Philadelphia. The offense needs its receivers back, and Worthy’s shoulder becomes the immediate concern. Early tests will clarify his timeline, but the Chiefs’ depth will be under the microscope until reinforcements arrive.

Beyond the scoreboard, the Brazil experiment worked. The game felt big, the crowd fed the pace, and the broadcast visuals—colors, flags, and that thick noise after every third-down stop—gave the league another international win. The schedule makers asked two division rivals to carry a first-of-its-kind opener. They got a real contest, full of swings, with a finish that kept fans in their seats.

• Key swing: Mahomes-to-Kelce for 37 yards cut it to two, but the failed two-point try kept Los Angeles in front.
• Defining play: Herbert’s 19-yard scramble late, a clock-killer that sealed the result.
• Injury watch: Chiefs rookie WR Xavier Worthy exited early with a right shoulder injury after colliding with Kelce.
• Streaks and shifts: Chargers ended a seven-game losing streak to Kansas City; Chiefs’ nine-year AFC West rule faces early pressure.

The schedule won’t wait. The Chiefs head home to host the Eagles on September 14 in a high-stakes rematch that doubles as a measuring stick for a banged-up receiving corps. The Chargers go to Las Vegas on September 15, the second stop in a three-game run against AFC West opponents that will tell us quickly how sustainable this start looks.

Openers don’t define seasons, but they do set tones. In São Paulo, the Chargers found a voice—efficient, physical, and ready to close. The Chiefs left with work to do and a reminder that even dynasties can stumble when depth gets tested. For Brazil, it was a night that sounded like the sport has already taken root.