For the third time in five games to begin the 2026-27 season, the Kansas City Chiefs will square off against an opponent from their own division. Coming out of the bye, it's the Los Angeles Chargers who stroll into Arrowhead Stadium to face Andy Reid's group.
With Kansas City looking to maintain an undefeated record and Los Angeles' season hanging on by the thinnest of threads, many would assume that this has the makings of a blowout. Given how close these rivals usually play each other, though, is there the possibility of a more competitive Sunday showdown?
How might today's game unfold? The Kansas City Chiefs On SI crew makes its predictions for Week 6 of the regular season.
Joshua Brisco: Undefeated vs. winless doesn’t really mean all that much to me once game day actually arrives. The Chiefs are coming off a bye, but they're still dealing with an array of impactful injuries. The Chargers are limping toward their week off, but it’s a divisional game. I don't expect the Chargers to magically find offensive success against the Chiefs, yet I could easily see this game being uglier than Chiefs fans would like.
Jordan Foote: Kansas City is well rested for Week 6, and Reid's track record after a bye speaks for itself. Not only that, but the Chargers are struggling in two of the game's three phases (offense and special teams) and are extremely banged up to boot. This team is undoubtedly more talented than its record shows, which is why I'm calling for an ugly one-score game, but the hosts should be able to overcome their own injuries and rise to 5-0 on the still-young season.
If the Chiefs lose this one, they have only themselves to blame. There's ample room for a hint of a nail-biter, albeit not an embarrassing loss to a floundering foe.
Joshua Schulman: An undefeated Chiefs squad taking on a winless Chargers team feels like the biggest trap game of all time, but it’s hard to fathom just how bad Justin Herbert and Mike McDaniel's unit has been. While they’ve been trending up in recent weeks, poor late-game execution and costly turnovers have sunk their chances.
Coming off a bye, I think the old “rest vs. rust” debate will play out for the Chiefs offense, and Patrick Mahomes may need some time to connect with his new targets now that Rashee Rice and Tyquan Thornton won’t be suiting up. However, they should come alive in the second half, and the defense will do enough to keep it close the first few quarters.
Tyler Brown: Early in the week, this one felt closer than the records suggest. Chiefs-Chargers games have a history of being tight regardless of the circumstances, and that reputation is hard to shake. The longer the week went on, though, the harder it became to make a case for Los Angeles.
This Chargers team is much closer to the Miami Dolphins the Chiefs dispatched 24-10 in Week 3 than they are to any legitimate AFC West contender.
The injury report alone, with Joe Alt, Rashawn Slater, and Derwin James all out, makes this a mismatch. Add in the 0-5 record and four rookie offensive linemen protecting Herbert, and the case for a competitive game falls apart.
The sack drought ends Sunday. Herbert has been sacked 30 times in 11 career games against Kansas City, and he's never faced this Chiefs defensive line with this little protection. Three to four sacks feels conservative, and one or two turnovers wouldn't be surprising.
Walker should have another big day on the ground, and tight end Travis Kelce will get going without James lurking in the middle of the field. The young receivers will have a chance to build some chemistry with Mahomes in a low-stakes environment.
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