The Los Angeles Chargers are just days away from a pivotal season opener against the Kansas City Chiefs. Most would expect the Chiefs, who have won five of the last six AFC championships, including three straight, to escape with a victory down in Brazil.
However, Jim Harbaugh and the Chargers have a chance to flip the NFL on its head by taking down the conference's Goliath and putting them in the losing column in Week 1. This game also effectively counts as double, considering it is an AFC West divisional matchup.
While it will take a variety of factors for the Bolts to pull off an upset victory, which would be their first win against Kansas City since September of 2021, it is going to take one player, in particular, for the Chargers to achieve their desired result.
Khalil Mack must torture Chiefs rookie OT Josh Simmons to pull off upset
Khalil Mack came to Los Angeles before the 2022 NFL season, and despite two trips to the playoffs, he has never taken down the Chiefs as a member of the Chargers. He is primed to earn his first victory, however, given that he can wreak havoc in this favorable matchup.
The Chiefs are starting Josh Simmons at left tackle on Friday, who is a first-round rookie playing in his first real professional game. Blocking Mack has been several NFL players' "Welcome to the NFL" moment, and things should be no different for Simmons.
In six games against the Chiefs since 2022, Mack has recorded 2.5 sacks, four tackles for loss and 12 quarterback hits. However, he has been getting home more frequently in recent games, with 1.5 of those sacks, three of those tackles for loss and nine of the quarterback hurries occurring in the last three matchups.
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Patrick Mahomes and the Chiefs' offense got tortured by the Philadelphia Eagles' defensive line during the Super Bowl. So, if Mack and the Chargers' defensive line can recreate that level of pressure, they could rattle Mahomes once again.
With a rookie starting at left tackle, this task should become a bit easier. Joe Alt defied this logic in 2024 when he held Maxx Crosby in check during his NFL debut, but that was more of an exception than a rule.
While the offense will need to be explosive and the secondary must hold up against Mahomes, Mack may truly hold the keys to the Chargers' Week 1 upset, which would flip the NFL on its head.