The Kansas City Chiefs will open up their 2025 campaign Friday night in São Paulo, Brazil, against the Los Angeles Chargers — an early-season showdown that could have big implications for the season.
All eyes will be on the left side of the Kansas City offensive line, where rookie tackle Josh Simmons will make his first start alongside second-year player Kingsley Suamataia, who is taking over at guard. Both will need to be on their A-game right from the start — because the Chargers know that the key
to beating the Chiefs is pressuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes. And they have the guys who can do it.
The Chargers’ pass rush
The fierce Los Angeles pass rush features future Hall of Famer Khalil Mack alongside rising edge rusher Tuli Tuipulotu. Defensive coordinator Jesse Minter will not waste time using them against the Chiefs.
With over 100 career sacks, Mack is one of the top defensive players of his era. While he’s entering his 12th NFL season, he still has plenty left in the tank — and enough moves to frustrate any offensive tackle.
Mack still has a bull rush that can knock the socks off of an unsuspecting tackle, along with an assortment of savvy moves to get past tackles who cheat by looking for the power rush off the rip.
Tuipulotu, in contrast, is more of a Swiss Army knife. He can pressure the passer from anywhere on the line, so the Chargers have given him multiple responsibilities.
Using classic power rushes (and good athletic ability), Tuipulotu can rush from anywhere, making it hard for teams to counter him. He finished 2024 with 8.5 sacks.
The Chargers’ twist game
While Minter will show Simmons and Suamatia many different looks, they should anticipate that Los Angeles will run multiple twist moves against them.
On this tackle/end twist, the defensive tackle penetrates the B-gap, setting the left guard and left tackle on different levels. This allows Mack to run through the A-gap untouched. A closer look reveals the center sliding right — an indicator that it was a slide-right protection for the offense. That put the left side of the line into one-on-one matchups.
When both are used in twist moves, Mack and Tuipulotu can use their individual skills to give offensive linemen a difficult time.
On this third-down play — with Mack on the outside and Tuipulotu inside — Mack screams into the B-gap, contacting the left guard’s shoulder while the tackle follows him down. Using good speed and agility, Tuipulotu loops around the outside to put a lick on Mahomes.
Notably, this was D.J. Humphries’ first start at left tackle in Kansas City — and the only time that former starting left guard Joe Thuney lined up next to him. It takes time for offensive linemen to create the chemistry needed to beat twists and stunts. So we should expect the Chiefs to help their new starters by often sliding center Creed Humphrey to the left, leaving right side guard Trey Smith and tackle Jawaan Taylor to fend for themselves.
Most of the time, this will be fine. But the Chargers are also capable of giving unorthodox looks that could force Kansas City into one-on-one situations all across the offensive line.
The Chargers’ 5-man defensive fronts
When defenses rush five, offensive lines often go into B-O-B protection — that is, big-on-big. Defenses love these looks, because their twists and stunts can be more effective in one-on-one situations.
On this third-down rep, Los Angeles comes to the line with six players. Pre-snap, it looks like Mahomes audibles the protection — which can be seen when Humphrey swipes his knee. Mahomes’ call switches up the pass protection, setting up the offensive line to take on the five most dangerous pass rushers.
Humphrey takes the man over him, but Tuipulotu and the other inside linebacker backer drop into coverage at the last second. This effectively wastes Humphrey, who then cannot support Humphries on the left side. Mack ends up with a quick pressure.
Creating one-on-one situations — and thereby eliminating Kansas City’s ability to provide help to its young players on the left — is likely to be something the Chargers will try throughout the game.
The bottom line
Simmons and Suamataia will see a variety of looks on Friday night. They’ll be prepared for some, but others could be new to them. But regardless of how Los Angeles attacks them, they will need to remain calm and trust their training.
For Suamataia, starting at guard is a great opportunity to turn the tide of his young career — but to take advantage, he will have to play well.
And while Simmons has looked the part so far, his toughest matchups are still ahead of him. Over the course of his career, Mack will be the first of many sharks who will be swimming nearby.
