Two teams that are working the extremes this season, one for the good and one for the bad, meet this Sunday at Arrowhead Stadium when the Kansas City Chiefs entertain the Los Angeles Chargers.
This was projected to be a year in which the Chiefs had a lot more questions to answer heading into their season than have had over the past decade while pretty much dominating the league. Behind Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs have appeared in five Super Bowls over the past seven seasons and won the Vince Lombardi Trophy three times.
But, after getting blown out by the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX and winning only six games last year, there were a lot of questions for Andy Reid’s team entering the 2026 season. Mahomes was injured late last season, and his recovery was iffy for being ready by the start of this campaign. The Chiefs defense was not nearly as dominant last year as it had been for nearly a decade, and Reid was faced with questions on what veterans were ready to pack it in.
On top of that aging list was tightend Travis Kelce, who didn’t seem to have the burst in his step last year as he had in his younger days. No one can avoid the aging process, and for athletes the expiration date on their effectiveness comes relatively early in life.
Meanwhile, the Chargers came into this year buoyed by the return of their two stalwart offensive linemen, Rashawn Slater and Joe Alt. Both missed significant time last season. Slater was injured during an August workout and was sidelined the entire 2025 campaign, while Alt went down with a season ending injury in November
This year, with their return and another year of development for the team under highly successful head coach Jim Harbaugh, all looked good for the Chargers when they reported to camp in July.