The new NFL season kicks off tomorrow night, with the Philadelphia Eagles hosting the Dallas Cowboys. But there is another NFL game that has a day/evening all to itself on season opening weekend- the Los Angeles Chargers versus the Kansas City Chiefs, from Sao Paulo, Brazil. Perhaps you’ve seen the extremely clever promo with “Dueling Banjos Keyboard Cats?”
It’s a play on the fact that this game will be streamed for free on YouTube/broadcast on YouTube TV, and what kind of content performs the best on YT? But of course, cat videos.
Sao Paulo NFL International Game FYIs
L.A. Chargers vs K.C. Chiefs
Odds: When you look at the best betting websites to handicap this game, you’ll see the Chiefs are -3, or -156 on the money line. The Chargers are obviously +3, with a price of +132 on the money line.
Over/Under: 45.5
Watch: well, we already covered that in the intro
Kickoff Time: 8pm EST, Arena Corinthians, Sao Paulo, Brazil
NFL International List/Schedule: go here
Storyline to Be Run into Ground
You already heard about this; ad nauseum. You’ll hear about it, several more times, during the broadcast. But did you hear about the time Taylor attended a Notre Dame football game?
Her buddy Selena Gomez was with her too. We were at that game, on the same sideline as them.
L.A. Chargers Preview
This is a very, very talented team, but they do have some major question marks this upcoming season. You can start with the wide receiver room, which Jim Harbaugh and company badly needed to upgrade.
They certainly did so, but how long will it take them to mesh with quarterback Justin Herbert?
And of course, the season-ending injury to franchise left tackle Rashawn Slater, how will the Bolts adjust to that?
With these questions on offense, a playoff berth is not assured (but it remains quite likely).
K.C. Chiefs Preview
The Chiefs Kingdom enters this season with a lot of motivation and inspiration, given how the Super Bowl went for them. Does it seem like their empire is crumbling? Is their dynasty over? Well, maybe not, but that window is getting closer to the day that it shuts.
Travis Kelce isn’t going to be playing too much longer, and Patrick Mahomes can now see several contenders for his crown. That said, they should still be able to handle L.A. in the curtain raiser. At least on paper, the Chiefs have the overall advantage.
Prediction: Chiefs 27, Chargers 21
Friday night football is always a fun thing to have going on, because, well you know, bonus gridiron action! And Chargers-Chiefs looks like it should be one of the better games of the 2025 kickoff weekend.
Paul M. Banks is the Founding Editor of The Sports Bank. He’s also the author of “Transatlantic Passage: How the English Premier League Redefined Soccer in America,” and “No, I Can’t Get You Free Tickets: Lessons Learned From a Life in the Sports Media Industry.”
He currently contributes to USA Today’s NFL Wires Network. His past bylines include the New York Daily News, Sports Illustrated and the Chicago Tribune. His work has been featured in numerous outlets, including the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Washington Post and ESPN. You can follow him on Linked In and Twitter