Herbert outduels Mahomes to help
the Chargers beat the Chiefs 27-21 in Brazil
[September 06, 2025]
By BETH HARRIS
Justin Herbert finished off the Los Angeles Chargers' season-opening
victory in style, sliding for a first down that effectively ended
the game.
The quarterback earned style points for his scramble and sideline
slide that capped a 318-yard, three-touchdown performance in a 27-21
victory over the Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs on
Friday night in Sao Paulo. Herbert had 32 yards rushing, too.
Los Angeles' first win over the Chiefs since Sept. 26, 2021, snapped
a seven-game skid against the team that has dominated the AFC for
nearly a decade.
“It’s monumental,” Chargers coach Jim Harbaugh said. “September 5th
will go down in some Charger lore, in my opinion. It was a big win.”
The NFL's second game South America was streamed on YouTube, with
Brazilian soccer superstar Neymar in attendance. Newly engaged pop
superstar Taylor Swift wasn't there to watch fiancé Travis Kelce and
see Colombian singer Karol G perform at halftime.
Herbert became just the third quarterback in Chargers history with
300 yards and three TDs in a season opener. His 19-yard run on
third-and-14 dashed any comeback hopes the Chiefs had with 2:21 to
play. He finished 25 of 34 and was sacked three times.
“We knew it was going to be a dogfight, so we showed up today with
our best effort,” Herbert said. “It was fun to see.”
Mahomes was 24 of 39 for 258 yards, one touchdown and two sacks.
“This will be a big lesson for us,” Mahomes said. “They definitely
came out with more energy than we did. We got to get better from the
start.”
Herbert's 23-yard TD pass to Quentin Johnston extended the lead to
26-18 with 5:02 remaining in the fourth. They hooked up for a 5-yard
TD on the Chargers' opening drive of the game.
Chased by Khalil Mack, Mahomes threw incomplete to Marquise Brown on
first-and-goal at the LA 9. Two more incomplete passes brought on
Harrison Butker, whose 27-yard field goal cut the deficit to 27-21
with 2:34 remaining.
The Chiefs closed to 20-18 on Mahomes' 37-yard TD pass to Kelce
early in the fourth. The 2-point conversion failed as Mahomes' pass
was incomplete to Noah Gray.
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Los Angeles Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert passes against the
Kansas City Chiefs during the second half of an NFL football game,
Friday, Sept. 5, 2025, in Sao Paulo. (AP Photo/Fernando Llano)
“Multiple times we shot ourselves in the foot,”
Chiefs defensive tackle Chris Jones said.
Injuries
The Chiefs were already down two receivers to start the game, with
Rashee Rice suspended to start the season and rookie Jalen Royals
out with a knee injury.
They lost another one three snaps into the game.
Xavier Worthy and teammate Kelce collided on a third-down pass.
Worthy had to be helped off the field and was later ruled out with a
right shoulder injury.
Chargers linebacker Denzel Perryman didn't return after leaving with
an ankle injury in the third.
Rookie miscue
Chargers running back Omarion Hampton made a rookie mistake late in
the first half.
The first-round draft pick got a handoff on 3rd-and-16 in the final
minute when the Chiefs had no timeouts left. Instead of staying in
bounds and letting the clock run, Hampton ran out of bounds. That
stopped the clock and the Chargers got a 36-yard field goal by
Cameron Dicker for a 13-3 lead.
Mahomes then moved the Chiefs within field goal range and their
kicking unit rushed on the field. Butker hit a 59-yarder with the 40
seconds to go, leaving the Chiefs trailing 13-6.
Take that
Kelce shoved Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart, who responded
with a blow to Kelce’s helmet in the third quarter. Tart was
penalized for unnecessary roughness, but wasn't thrown out because
he used an open hand.
Up next
Chiefs: Host Philadelphia on Sept. 14 in a Super Bowl rematch.
Chargers: At Las Vegas on Sept. 15.
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