The Kansas City Chiefs fell to the Los Angeles Chargers, 27-21, in Sao Paulo, Brazil on Friday night as the two teams kicked off the 2025 season.
Trailing by nine points and facing a fourth down with just over three minutes remaining in the game, quarterback Patrick Mahomes connected with wide receiver Hollywood Brown for a 49-yard gain deep into Chargers' territory, setting up a 27-yard field goal that narrowed the deficit to just six points.
The play, which featured Mahomes scrambling to his right before firing a beautiful pass to Brown while on the run, kept the Chiefs' chances alive and led to a critical defensive series that would ultimately decide the game.
The Chiefs managed to force Los Angeles into a long third down prior to the two-minute warning, too, but Chargers' quarterback Justin Herbert broke free for a 19-yard scramble that moved the chains and effectively put the game away.
It was a disappointing ending to what had the makings of another memorable comeback by Kansas City, but in the end, several self-inflicted errors proved to be too difficult to overcome on Friday night.
"I want to thank the people of Brazil and Sao Paulo for the hospitality. We didn't give all those fans who showed up the best show," said Head Coach Andy Reid. "We can learn from this as we move forward, which we'll do. I have to make sure I get my team in a better state there – playing with more emotion. We were a little flat there in the first half, and that cost us."
Indeed, the Chiefs committed 10 total penalties, missed an extra point and struggled on both sides of the ball throughout much of Friday's game, but despite those miscues, the Chiefs still found themselves in a position to win the game late in the fourth quarter due in large part to Mahomes' second-half heroics.
Mahomes led the Chiefs to points on each of Kansas City's final five possessions of the game, completing 24-of-39 passes for 258 yards and a touchdown on the night. He compiled all of those numbers without wide receiver Xavier Worthy, who was sidelined just three snaps into the game with a shoulder injury.
Worthy's injury was part of a slow start for Kansas City, which punted on each of its first three drives while netting just 33 total yards. Los Angeles managed to assemble a 10-point lead in the meantime, but to the Chiefs' credit, Kansas City remained within striking distance – pulling within a touchdown – heading into halftime.
In fact, while the Chiefs didn't find the end zone throughout the first half, it was two field goals – including a remarkable, "run-on" kick from 59 yards out as time expired in the first half – that kept the deficit manageable prior to the break.
The Chiefs then carried that momentum into the second half, forcing a Chargers' punt before Mahomes engineered an 11-play, 80-yard touchdown drive that ended with an 11-yard scoring scramble. Kicker Harrison Butker missed the ensuing extra point, however, preserving the Chargers' one-point advantage.
Los Angeles quickly answered with a touchdown drive of its own, pushing its lead to eight points, but Mahomes then had the Chiefs back in the end zone when he connected with tight end Travis Kelce for a 37-yard score. Kansas City proceeded to attempt a game-tying two-point conversion following Kelce's touchdown, but the Chargers swatted Mahomes' pass away and – once again – maintained their lead.
The Chargers went on to add to their advantage, too, when Herbert connected with wide receiver Quentin Johnston for a 23-yard touchdown on Los Angeles' ensuring series. The score put the Chargers ahead by nine points with just over five minutes to play, and while the Chiefs pulled within six points a few minutes later, Hebrert's game-sealing scramble quelled any hopes of a Chiefs comeback.
"I think we learned a valuable lesson today. We have to be better from the get-go," Mahomes said. "We can't just expect to come back and win every single game. Teams are too good in this league, so this will be a big lesson for us."
In terms of injuries, Coach Reid didn't have an update to share regarding Worthy following the game other than that the second-year wide receiver will undergo an MRI upon returning to Kansas City.
The Chiefs will now look to turn the page in preparation for a matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles at GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium next Sunday
