The Los Angeles Chargers are set to take on the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday afternoon.

Prior to the matchup, Chiefs Wire managing editor Charles Goldman spoke with us on Los Angeles’ opponent.

Here’s a look at five things to expect:

1. What can we expect for this year’s Chiefs offense?

Well, first off it’s going to be a little different than the 2019 version of their offense. The goal this year seems to be finding a more balanced approach on offense and not be so heavily reliant on explosive plays. Andy Reid thinks that Patrick Mahomes can be the best version of himself when he doesn’t have to be Superman each week. That’s not to say they don’t want him improvising and doing the things that make him a special talent, they just don’t want it to all fall on him.They added some pieces in LG Kelechi Osemele and RB Clyde Edwards-Helaire that give the run game the type of pizzazz that it hasn’t seen since early in the 2018 season before the Kareem Hunt situation. Also, Mahomes has said that he wants to do a better job taking what the defense gives him. That means recognizing when the shot play will be there, but also feeling comfortable checking it down to his army of playmakers.

2. The linebacker and defensive back group appeared to be exploited in the season opener. Do you expect that to be an issue again this Sunday?

I would say you’re spot on with the linebacker group, they’re easily the worst unit on this team. The three starters in Anthony Hitchens, Damien Wilson and Ben Niemann were the three lowest-graded defenders for the Chiefs in Week 1 according to PFF. The only good news out of that group is the 2018 third-round draft pick Dorian O’Daniel finally made an appearance and played well. As for the secondary, they were actually really impressive in Week 1. Rookie CB L’Jarius Sneed was the standout as he had a pair of passes defended and an interception. In garbage time the defense let up a couple of touchdowns. Tyrann Mathieu set the tone after the game, saying that he was, “pissed off.” Really, everyone echoed that sentiment this week in practice, so I’d expect a better performance through four quarters. Rashad Fenton will be starting opposite Sneed, you might remember him from the Mexico City game last year as he had a big interception in that game.

3. What area/position of the Chiefs could determine the outcome of this game?

I think it’s going to come down to the pass rush and containing Tyrod Taylor for Kansas City. They pressured Texans QB Deshaun Watson 24 times in Week 1, that’s 10 more pressures than the next closest team had in the first week of the season. If they can force the Chargers into some third-and-long situations it’ll be a long night for Taylor. Alternatively, they’ll need to keep a close eye on how they go about pressuring Taylor. We all know that he can gash defenses with his legs and he’s at his best when he can make plays outside of the pocket.

4. Who is an under-the-radar Chief that Chargers fans should know about?

Undrafted free agent defensive tackle Tershawn Wharton, who played for the D-II Missouri S&T Miners. Wharton played just 16 snaps in Week 1, but notched a pressure and two run stops on the day. He lined up directly over the center a few times, so given that Mike Pouncey is on injured reserve, I think he’s someone who could make a big impact this week.

5. Score prediction?

I went with 34-17 Chiefs in my prediction over at Chiefs Wire. I thought that Thursday Night Football between the Bengals and Browns this week was a big indictment of the Chargers offense and their Week 1 performance against Cincinnati. I think they’ll definitely get some chunk plays in the ground game, but dropping back to pass against Kansas City is going to be tough, even with a few backups in the secondary.