By God… They did it… they actually did it.

The Los Angeles Chargers knocked off the reigning AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs in Brazil with a score of 27-21, and the irrational fan in me is ready to book my flight to Santa Clara to go watch the Bolts take on Super Bowl 60. Of course, we’ve all had a couple of days to settle down and take a look at what we can actually deduce from this thriller.

The AFC West is Wide Open

The Chiefs have had a vice grip over the AFC West for what feels like a decade, because well ... it has been! But with Week 1 in the books, I make my declaration now! The AFC West is officially open for business. It is beyond evident that the loss of Justin Reid leaves this secondary with a massive hole and has drastically impacted the effectiveness of this Spags-led defense going forward. With an offense that cannot generate big plays (four passes of 15+ yards compared to the Bolts 8 on Friday Night) without god-level play from Patrick Mahomes, they need their defense to continue to play at the level they have been the past couple years.

If Week 1 is an indicator of the future, the Chiefs' secondary is going to have a lot of trouble enabling the vaunted Spags pressure packages that have made KC as difficult as they have been during their reign of terror. This opens the door for Justin Herbert to possibly take home his first division title.

Trey Pipkins Passes the Eye Test

By no means is Trey Pipkins Rashawn Slater, but it was a huge performance from the Sioux Falls product. Pipkins, statistically, had an iffy night, but when watching the four “pressures” he allowed, he drove George Karlaftis so far upfield that it allowed Justin Herbert to step up and either deliver a strike or take off, and it basically eliminated the pressure from the play. Despite the rough grade from PFF (46.2 pass block grade), if you ask a Chargers fan who watched the game, I think they would give Pip a much stronger grade than that

Justin Herbert: MVP Candidate

Justin Herbert is a bona fide stud. On the grandest stage of Week 1 on the international kickoff against the Big Bad Patrick Mahomes, we witnessed the former President of the Sheldon HS Fishing Club provide viewers with a masterclass. With 350 total yards, three touchdowns, and zero turnovers including three of the best drives of the quarterback's career, he matched Mahomes drive-for-drive in the fourth quarter and iced the game with his legs on third and 14. Herbert has a long way to go before taking any hardware home, but if Greg Roman commits to the pass game and the trio of Ladd McConkey, Keenan Allen and Quentin Johnston all continue to build off of a strong Week 1, there’s no reason that “If Man” can’t become “MVP Man”. Take that, Ryan Clark.

The Chargers' Run Game is …

Bad. The answer is bad. For one reason or another, the Chargers cannot find a consistent run game. Omarion Hampton most certainly left some things to be desired, and the offensive line is still trying to find its footing. The Chargers only averaged 0.6 Yards Before Contact, with 3 TFLs allowed as well on rushing attempts. All in all, a strong run game would have been nice to have when trying to keep Mahomes and company off the field when they are clicking, and it will hopefully be something that the Chargers can eventually develop as this unit spends more time together going forward.

Donte Jackson

No, seriously. In my breakdown of the cornerback room, I didn’t exactly speak glowingly about the acquisition of the former Pittsburgh Steeler, but he looked pretty damn good on Friday Night. Jackson posted a 77.7 PFF grade vs Kansas City (second to only Derwin James on the Chargers' defense) and answered the bell early and often. It was clear that Andy Reid’s game plan included testing him throughout the game, but that proved to be more difficult than the Kansas City offense likely believed it would be. He was constantly tested and thrown at and made multiple plays that this secondary really needed, especially with Cam Hart struggling in the fashion he did.

That does it! Look out for another piece to drop later this week previewing the second divisional matchup in as many weeks, as the Bolts travel to Vegas to take on the new-look Raiders. This should add another chapter to the Pete Carroll-Jim Harbaugh rivalry.