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NFL Facing Backlash Over Reported Chiefs Decision for Week 1
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- NFL Facing Backlash Over Reported Chiefs Decision for Week 1
The Kansas City Chiefs may be playing regular season football again earlier than expected — and in an entirely different country.
According to sources cited by Front Office Sports , the NFL is "closing in" on an agreement for the Chiefs to be the Week 1 opponents for the Los Angeles Chargers ' opening Friday game in Sao Paulo, Brazil.
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The news follows reports that the Brazil game could become the first in NFL history to be streamed exclusively for free on YouTube.
The Chiefs, coming off a 40-22 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Super Bowl LIX in February, would be the "road team" for the traditional AFC West divisional matchup taking place on a different continent.
Though the decision is not yet official, fans are already furious with the potential arrangement.
Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce (87) looks on prior to the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at SoFi Stadium.Jayne Kamin-Oncea-Imagn Images
The start of the 2024 season marked the first NFL game played in Brazil, featuring the Eagles defeating the Green Bay Packers 34-29. It counted as a home game for Philadelphia, but the team still had eight home games and eight away games — including an unchanged NFC East slate — in the remaining portion of its regular season schedule.
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If the Chargers play the Chiefs, it would replace one of their four home divisional games.
"Critical divison game wasted on an international audience, harming competitive balance," said a frustrated response to the news on X.
"Are you kidding???" one Chargers fan said in disbelief. "Starting with a division game in Brazil??!! I thought for sure we'd play the Texans to start the year."
"This is so dumb. SoFi is literally the best stadium in the league, why would you put that game in Brazil," criticized a reply .
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"Opening week game Chiefs vs Chargers in Brazil on YouTube… none of this words should be in the Bible," complained one fan . "Undo it."
"Why the Chiefs," wondered another user . "So stupid."
The answer is simple: Kansas City is the NFL's biggest draw. During the first 11 weeks of the 2024 NFL season, before altered holiday broadcast schedules, the Chiefs took part in four of the five most-watched TV broadcasts in the NFL. The league likely has eyes on a repeat of the early-season ratings dominance that Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce 's team could provide.
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The Chiefs could boost in-person demand for ticket sales as well. Kansas City is the most-searched NFL team on Google outside of the United States in 2024, while Kelce and Mahomes ranked No. 1 and No. 2 among most-searched players. Kelce's girlfriend, Taylor Swift, has a massive fan base in Brazil and played six shows on her historic "Eras Tour" in the South American country.
The reported decision may be rational, but that will not make the Chargers fans feel any better about it.
Related: Travis Kelce Makes Announcement After Pat McAfee Fiasco
Related: Could Chargers Trade Najee Harris After 2025 NFL Draft?
