SÃO PAULO — Since Patrick Mahomes became a starter in 2018, the Kansas City Chiefs have beaten up on much of the NFL, and perhaps no team understands what that dominance has felt like more than the Chargers. The Chargers went into Friday night’s game at Corinthians Arena in São Paulo on a seven-game losing streak to Kansas City and are 3-19 in their past 22 games against the Chiefs.
It wasn’t always a beatdown for the Chargers, and the games were often decided in the final minutes — or seconds — but in the end, the Chiefs were on top more often than not.
The paradigm shifted Friday night.
Quarterback Justin Herbert scrambled for 19 yards on 3rd-and-14 in the fourth quarter to effectively end the football game and send his teammates into a celebrating frenzy. Herbert and the Chargers offense picked apart the Chiefs’ defense all night with ease, and the Chargers defense slowed Mahomes and the Chiefs’ offense just enough to edge out a 27-21 victory.
Here are the most important things to know from Friday night for both teams:
Los Angeles Chargers (1-0)
What to make of the QB performance: This is a much different Herbert than we saw early last season. It wasn’t until Week 6 last season that Herbert had a game for over 200 yards, and he didn’t hit 300 until Week 7. Herbert hit the latter total Friday night, finishing with 318 yards and three touchdowns. It was Herbert’s first 300-yard passing, three-touchdown game since Week 10 against the Detroit Lions in 2023. Friday night’s performance reflected an improved wide receiving core and a vote of confidence for…
