Welcome back to the Chargers Mailbag!

We'll run a Mailbag each week during the regular season. Send in submissions for the Mailbag on Twitter @EricLSmith or by email at eric.smith@chargers.nfl.com.

Off we go...

What are you looking forward to in Brazil with the trip and the game? (Frank via email)

Olá do Brasil!

That means 'Hello from Brazil,' assuming the translation is correct.

The Chargers have arrived in São Paulo and are prepping for practice Wednesday before turning their attention to meetings and Friday's season opener against the Chiefs.

What am I looking forward to Friday night?

The main storyline is obvious to me.

If the Chargers can win in Week 1, they would make a (very early) statement that perhaps they should be included among the elite AFC playoff contenders.

Most of the national buzz right now about the Bolts is that they could sneak into the postseason as a Wild Card team, similar to what happened a year ago.

But starting 1-0, especially against the Chiefs, could signal that Kansas City's nine-year run as AFC West champions could be challenged in 2025.

The Chargers, to be sure, must come through when it matters most against their biggest rival.

The Bolts have held a fourth-quarter lead in five of their past seven games against the Chiefs and were tied in another, but couldn't secure a win in any of those contests.

There is plenty of excitement as Year 2 begins with Jim Harbaugh, who is a perfect 5-0 in previous season openers.

One game won't make or break a team's season. But the Chargers clearly want to start the 2025 season off on the right foot.

As for any extracurricular activities, there's not much on my to-do list.

I have plenty of work to get done ahead of kickoff Friday and am also going to try and catch up on sleep. The Chargers are having a Brazilian barbecue one night at the team hotel.

Aside from Justin Herbert, who could be the Chargers MVP this season? (Ryan via email)

Great question here!

To be clear, Herbert is the face of the franchise and the guy that will drive how far the Bolts go in 2025.

But the Chargers spent the offseason adding skill players around him, whether it was in the draft (Omarion Hampton, Tre' Harris, KeAnde Lambert-Smith and Oronde Gadsden) or in free agency (Keenan Allen, Najee Harris and Tyler Conklin).

And I believe that Hampton is going to turn into one of the steals of the 2025 NFL Draft with a monster rookie season.

The Chargers want to run the ball but that phase was inconsistent a season ago. So they drafted Hampton in the first round to bring a mix of speed, power and athleticism that was missing in the backfield.

Harris will obviously play a part in the run game, too, but the Chargers might have found their running back of the future in Hampton, who was an All-American the past two seasons at North Carolina.

By the time the calendar gets to January, plenty of NFL fans are going to know Hampton's name.

Yes to both question from Brent.

Now, is the O-line a bit more of a question mark now that Rashawn Slater won't play at all this season? Of course.

But very few teams can simply replace one Pro Bowl tackle with another player of that caliber, something that Bolts did by moving Joe Alt from right tackle to the left side.

Alt said last week that it's up to the rest of the starters to pick up the slack in Slater's absence, something that will fall on the shoulders of Zion Johnson, Bradley Bozeman, Mekhi Becton and Trey Pipkins III.

In my eyes, the Chargers offensive line is perhaps the biggest X-factor surrounding the Chargers in 2025.

If they gel together, stay healthy and reach their potential, it's not hard to imagine Herbert putting up big numbers while targeting Ladd McConkey, Allen and others.

And that running game that Harbaugh wants to build his team on will obviously be powered up front in the trenches.

Simply put, all eyes will be on the Chargers offensive line in 2025.

Finally, the Bolts offense was at its best in 2024 when Herbert used his legs to create and extend plays.

We saw that against the Saints and Bengals at home, and in the regular-season finale in Las Vegas, all games in which Herbert tallied 40-plus rushing yards.

Nobody is asking Herbert to rush for 100 yards a game. But a few splash plays here and there to convert on third downs or provide a spark is something that could be a hidden key to the offense this season.

Who is a name to keep an eye on for the defense? (Alex vai email)

The Chargers defense is full of stars, whether it be Khalil Mack, Derwin James, Jr. or Daiyan Henley.

Yes, I'm putting Henley in that group because he's going to be a household name by Week 18.

But if we're looking for a player who could a Henley-like jump in 2025, let's go with Tarheeb Still.

The cornerback turned heads as a fifth-round rookie last year, tallying a team-high four interceptions and emerging as a dependable young player in the secondary.

And while the Chargers rotated a handful of cornerbacks with the first-team defense in training camp, Still has the potential to develop into even more of a playmaker in his second season.

Given Still's ability to play both in the slot and outside, he should be in position to rack up even more takeaways in 2025.

A bit of a bold prediction here is that Still will record at least six interceptions in his sophomore season.

If the 23-year-old can do that, it's likely the Chargers defense will once again find itself among the league's best units.