The Kansas City Chiefs already have division victories over the Denver Broncos and Las Vegas Raiders early this season. Now, they await the Los Angeles Chargers this Sunday. It is not as highly anticipated as this matchup appeared to be when the schedule came out.
A putrid 0-5 start for the Bolts puts them in panic mode. As for the Chiefs, they are already over halfway to matching last year's win total. Kansas City is back to being one of the league's best teams.
With this being the first meeting between the Chiefs and the Chargers this season, let's review the offseason changes made by Los Angeles. How has L.A. been most impacted by the changes from what they had last season?
Coaching cycle appears to have sapped Chargers' creativity
First and foremost, the coaching cycle forced the Chargers to make massive changes on the headsets. Jesse Minter was hired away by the Baltimore Ravens as their new head coach. Los Angeles replaced him at defensive coordinator with Chris O'Leary. O'Leary did have a stint with the Chargers' staff in 2024. However, much of his career has been spent as a defensive coach at the college level.
Offensively, Greg Roman was removed as offensive coordinator after two years with Los Angeles. His replacement is former Miami Dolphins head coach Mike McDaniel. McDaniel's personality and flashy wardrobe are similar to the Chargers' hopes every season.
People hype them up massively. In the end, the results are never close to meeting expectations. It has been odd to see the dynamics play out between head coach Jim Harbaugh, quarterback Justin Herbert, and McDaniel so far this season.
Defense underwent minimal changes
Not much changed between last year's Chargers defense and the one they are running out there this season. Defensive tackle Dalvin Tomlinson is currently the only healthy free-agent defensive addition to this roster. He came over from the Arizona Cardinals and is in his age-32 season.
A rookie trio of outside linebacker Akheem Mesidor, defensive end Nick Barrett, and safety Genesis Smith are the only three first-year players on their defensive unit. Kansas City could see more of Smith than other teams have so far. At safety, Derwin James was ruled out for Sunday with an injury.
The most notable departure from last year's defense is pass rusher Odafe Oweh. Los Angeles acquired him before last season's trade deadline. In 12 games with the Bolts, Oweh tallied 7.5 sacks, 8 tackles for loss, 13 quarterback hits, and 19 pressures.
Chargers' offense is dealing with serious losses
Interestingly, the greatest difference from last year's Chargers offense is wide receiver Keenan Allen. Allen has had a very accomplished career. Though it was stunning to see how valuable his production still was to Los Angeles in 2025. He led the team in targets and receptions last year. Allen was also second on the team in receiving yards.
Other changes at wide receiver involve a former Chiefs pass catcher. Marquez Valdes-Scantling, of all names, was garnering snaps for the Bolts after bouncing around teams last year. He was just released before gameday, however. Theo Wease is also a new addition for this season. He was with McDaniel in the Miami system throughout the 2025 campaign. Meanwhile, rookie wide receiver Brenen Thompson has been limited to just one catch because of injury.
Shifting to running back, Keaton Mitchell is a new addition after leaving Baltimore. He is averaging 4.6 yards per carry in 2026. Plus, his nine receptions already this year match his career high for a single season.
At tight end, Will Dissly and Tyler Conklin are not back from the 2025 roster. Neither really produced much last season anyway. Former Cleveland Brown David Njoku was brought in this offseason but is currently out with an injury. Charlie Kolar is another tight end addition from this past offseason. He is already playing through a forearm injury.
Finally, the offensive line has been a major sticking point for the Bolts for years now. It has not been much better in 2026. Tyler Biadasz, Rashawn Slater, and Joe Alt will not play Sunday because of injuries. Kayode Awosika was a name who stepped in. He will be out against the Chiefs with an injury of his own, though.
For healthier names, Cole Strange was brought in this offseason from Miami. He and rookie Jake Slaughter have certainly taken their lumps early this year. It is a unit that is constantly scrambling in performance and to keep guys on the field.
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