Football is back and I couldn’t be happier. We’ve got a weekend full of games, with the Chiefs and Chargers coming at you live from São Paolo, Brazil. Let’s jump right into this big divisional matchup in the AFC West.
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Game Information
Matchup Information
- Location: Arena Corinthians; Sao Paolo, Brazil
- Date: Friday, September 5th, 2025
- Kickoff: 8:00 PM EST
Quarterback Matchup
- Kansas City Chiefs: Patrick Mahomes (15-1; 2024 – 245.5 YPG | 26 TD | 11 INT)
- San Diego Chargers: Justin Herbert (11-6; 2024 – 227.6 YPG | 23 TD | 3 INT)
Betting Odds
Odds via BetOnline, an industry leader in the sports betting world.
Analysis & Breakdown
Welcome to Brazil
Last year, on the opening night of the 2024 NFL Season; the Philadelphia Eagles and Green Bay Packers played the first ever NFL Game in South America. This year, once again in São Paolo, the Chiefs and Chargers will face off here at Arena Corinthians.
Despite the International Games trending towards the under, last year’s Brazil game saw 63 points scored; with the Eagles winning 34-29 over the Packers. The game saw a total of 824 yards from scrimmage, seven total touchdowns and multiple big games from superstars on both sides. With São Paolo being in South America, the time change and travel isn’t quite as bad when compared to a trip across the pond.
The Chargers will arrive in Brazil on today (Tuesday, September 2nd) and will have two days to acclimate to the four hour time difference. For the Chiefs it’ll be a bit easier, the difference in time is just an hour and the flight is slightly shorter from Kansas City.
The shorter travel time and reduced time change may have played a strong factor last year with both Green Bay and Philadelphia being within one timezone at most. In addition to the reduced travel, it’s the first game of the season, these boys are rearing to go. I wouldn’t be surprised if we saw points, points an more points this Friday.
Battle of the AFC West
This year, we’ve got a divisional battle in the AFC West and who better than the Chiefs and Chargers to kick off the weekend. Both teams will look to set the tone early here in Week 1, with both teams desperately trying to forget about their respective last games. The Chiefs were blown out in the Super Bowl, while the Chargers scored just 12 points in their Wild Card matchup with the Texans.
Both teams enter this season with high expectations. The Chiefs lost two total games last year with Patrick Mahomes under center, one coming against the Bills in Week 10 and then their second coming against Philadelphia in the big game.
For San Diego the expectations aren’t as high, but after an 11-6 season in Jim Harbaugh’s first year, it looks like the only place to go is up. The Chargers added Najee Harris in the off-season, drafted Omarion Hampton and brought back Keenan Allen. Outside of a few injuries in training camp, the Chargers look like they could cause some problems this year.
Friday’s Best Bets
Marquise Brown o36.5 Receiving Yards (-110)
The Chiefs will be without their young star Rashee Rice for at least the first six weeks of this season. Due to off the field issues, Rice has been suspended for six games, a decision both he and his team have decided to not appeal. The Chiefs wide receiver room might look the best it’s looked since Tyreek Hill was still in the building. The trio of Xavier Worthy, Marquise Brown and Rashee Rice (when re-instated) looks formidable; their combination of speed, route running and big play ability could really enable the Chiefs offense to pop this year.
Brown missed nearly the entire regular season last year due to a dislocated sternoclavicular joint he sustained in the Chiefs pre-season opener, last August. He played just two regular season games last year, both coming within four days of each other. Brown recorded 15 targets, 9 catches and clearing this line in both games. After a quiet Divisional Round, Marquise recorded 5 catches on 11 targets in his last two games of the year; that being the AFC Championship Game and Super Bowl.
Brown was a huge signing last off-season and now that he’s back healthy for Week 1, I love this opportunity for him to remind everyone just who he is. Brown’s just 28 years old and a receiver that’s recorded 100+ targets for four straight years, prior to last season. He’s more than capable of leading this receiving core if he stays healthy and I expect Patty feels the same way.
Isiah Pacheco Anytime Touchdown (+195)
Pacheco at +195 is just something I can’t pass up. The Chargers defense was elite last year in more ways than one, the one place they struggled just a little bit was on the ground. The Chargers gave up just 206 pass yards per game but 117 rush yards per game. They ranked middle of the pack in run defense and did a great job of limiting opposing pass attacks.
Pacheco enters his first year as the clear cut number one and he seems to be fully healthy. He’s coming off a season in which he played just seven regular season games, scored just one touchdown and averaged a career low 3.7 YPC. This is the year Pacheco needs to breakout and I think the Chiefs know he’s more than capable. He runs with force, tough to tackle and he’s always looking for the endzone. Look for Pacheco to punch one in on Friday Night.
Bonus Bet: Isiah Pacheco First Touchdown Scorer (+950)
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