The Chargers return home in Week 4 for a date with the division-rival Chiefs.

Kickoff from SoFi Stadium is slated for 1:25 p.m. (PT).

Here are five final thoughts ahead of Week 4:

1. Bring it on

The Chargers and Chiefs renew their AFC West rivalry on Sunday.

But this game feels a bit different than in years past.

For one, the Bolts are a bit beat up and could be without as many as five former first-round picks against Kansas City.

Rashawn Slater and Joey Bosa are out while Derwin James, Jr. is suspended for one game.

Justin Herbert and Joe Alt, meanwhile, are questionable for Week 4.

The Chargers, who sit at 2-1, hardly care.

"This is the National Football League," Jamaree Slayer said. "Whether we have guys out there who are our typical starters are not, everybody on this team is a professional and are that caliber of player.

"It's the next guy up," Salyer added. "Our plan is to get to 3-1 no matter who's on the field and who we're going against. We're trying to get to 3-1."

Chargers Head Coach Jim Harbaugh delivered a lengthy response when asked about the opportunity that awaits his team.

"I played the game and also coached it. I never went into a game as a player or a coach where I didn't have confidence and belief in the next man up," Harbaugh said.

"I went into a lot of those games as the starter and it never felt like we were going nine against 11 or 10 against 11," Harbaugh continued. "I knew we were going in 11 against 11 with teammates that were more than capable of doing the job.

"There were times when I was a backup going in and I was more than capable," Harbaugh added. "It was my opportunity to show I belonged on this great stage of being a National Football League Player."

Recent history suggests the game will be close, as five of the past six matchups between the teams has been decided by six points of fewer.

But the Chargers were seven-point underdogs as of Friday afternoon, which would be the largest point spread between the teams in the past six games.

Khalil Mack and the Bolts know the challenge the Chiefs present.

Kansas City has won three of the past five Super Bowls, including back-to-back titles. The Chiefs have also won eight consecutive divisions crowns and have 10 straight road wins against the Bolts.

"It's just understanding that they're a championship-caliber team and it's almost like they find ways to win games," Mack said. "It's a great challenge for us."

Mack later added: "It's our job to knock challenges like this down. And what better way to do it than at home on Sunday against the Chiefs?"

Chargers Defensive Coordinator Jesse Minter said: "They're 3-0. They're the defending champs. Yeah, it's definitely a great test."

It's early, but a win Sunday would signal the Bolts are in a new era with a new mentality under Harbaugh.

"To be the best, you have to beat the best," Harbaugh said. "That's the kind of opportunity that it is. We understand it and guys are ready to roll."

Plus, the chance to get to 3-1 (and move into first place in the AFC West) would send the Bolts into the bye week on a high note.

"Going into the bye with a win, that would be huge for us," Mack said. "Especially with where we're at and getting guys healthy, that would be huge for us."

Salyer added: "We don't feel like we're underdogs. We accept the challenge and know they're a good team."

2. What does the O-Line look like?

With Slater not playing Sunday and Alt listed as questionable, the Bolts might have to shuffle up their offensive line a bit.

Salyer and Zion Johnson said they liked how the room came together this week as both noted the overall mindset stayed the same.

"Everybody approaches each week like they're going to play," Johnson said. "Jamaree ended up coming into the game Sunday so we all take the same approach.

"Whether you're slated to start or not, approach it like you're a starter, study like you're a starter," Johnson added. "Our room does an excellent job of doing that."

Salyer added: "Business as usual."

So, what will the offensive line look like Sunday?

Chargers Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said this week that "multiple options" are on the table.

We know that Johnson (left guard) and Bradley Bozeman (center) will remain in their usual spots.

Harbaugh said last week that Pipkins is the team's third tackle, so a move outside makes sense if Alt doesn't play, especially if it's to right tackle, a position he played in recent years.

"If it needs to happen, I don't think it will be a crazy transition," said Pipkins, who noted that staying on the right side of the line could benefit him. "Switching sides is a lot more difficult, I would say."

Salyer could then either line up at right guard or left tackle. Remember that he started 14 games at left tackle as a rookie in 2022 when Slater tore his biceps.

"Throughout my career, whether that was in high school or college, I just played a lot of different positions," Salyer said. "I feel like that makes me a good football player and that I can understand the game better to be able to flex wherever they need me."

Harbaugh said Salyer is "a great option as a tackle."

Hypothetically speaking, if Salyer moves to left tackle, the candidates to play right guard would either be Foster Sarell, who lined up there some in training camp, or Sam Mustipher, who is currently on the practice squad but has 42 career starts with Chicago and Baltimore.

"Like him as a football player," Harbaugh said of Mustipher. "Tough, strong, dependable guy."

Roman added: "I definitely think all options are in play ... but we have full confidence in all these guys, at any position we put them at."

3. Molden ready to step up

As mentioned above, the Bolts will be without James against Kansas City due to a one-game suspension.

"You can't replace Derwin James," Minter said. "He's one of the top players in football."

Mack called the do-it-all safety "the heartbeat of your defense out there."

Still, the Bolts will have to find a way to slow down Kansas City's offensive attack without him.

"We all have to rise up to the challenge now," Elijah Molden said. "Can't just be one guy trying to replace him, that's not how it's going to work. It really takes everyone in the backend to raise it up a bar."

Keep an eye on Molden to start next to Alohi Gilman, with AJ Finley or Tony Jefferson filling in as the third safety. Jefferson was added to the 53-man roster in place of James this week.

"I feel like this is the reason I'm here, to kind of be the third safety and help out any way that I can," said Molden, who started in place of Gilman in Week 2. "If people are down or get injured, I want to add value to the team. I feel really comfortable with the defense now, so it's another opportunity to show out."

Minter added: "I expect him to step in there and play great."

Minter said the Bolts will use "a good dose" of Finley, a second-year player who is among the more improved players on the roster.

James has said in the past that playing the Chiefs are among his favorite games on the calendar.

The Bolts will try to get a win for him on Sunday.

"There's things that happen and you can sit around and worry about them and complain about them and say this and that," Minter said. "At the end of the day, we're going to play football at 1:25 p.m. on Sunday.

"The guys we have out there, we'll feel like they're well-prepared and have confidence in them to execute the game plan," Minter added.

4. Minter heaps praise on Reid, Mahomes

Did you know the Chiefs still have Patrick Mahomes?

Minter called him one of the league's all-time greatest quarterbacks on Thursday.

And if that wasn't enough to deal with, Chiefs Head Coach Andy Reid is surely regarded is one of the football's best offensive minds.

"Players make schemes go but schemes also make players go," Minter said. "They have a great combination of that where you have maybe the best play-caller of all time if you look at his track record and success … now you throw in there somebody who is arguably the greatest quarterback of all time.

"That's a tough combination," Minter added. "They just do a lot of different things."

Through three games, the Chiefs have looked somewhat mortal on offense.

Mahomes is averaging 220 passing yards per game and has five touchdowns and four interceptions.

Minter has stressed the importance of the "play after the play" Sunday to emphasize Mahomes' unique ability to extend plays and make magic seemingly out of nowhere.

"You think you have them and you've covered a route well and then the guy turns up and wheels away from you," Minter said. "It's never over with them with how they play."

According to Pro Football Focus, the Chargers enter Week 4 ranked third in EPA per play (minus-0.250). They have also allowed just 267.0 yards per game, good for sixth-best in the league.

A week after playing well for nearly three quarters, Mack wants to see a more complete game from his unit.

"We learned a lot," Mack said of a Week 3 loss. "We learned what we're capable of, but we learned that the strain needs to be different, especially in that second half of the ballgame.

"There can't be a lot of seven-figure wounds down the stretch of the game when we've got to get off the field," Mack added.

Sunday's game will be the 128^th all-time meeting between the Chargers and Chiefs, but the first one with Harbaugh and his staff at the helm.

"This is hopefully going to be a chess match going on for awhile," Minter said.

5. A stout KC defense

If you go off EPA per play, the Chiefs defense appears middle-of-the-pack at 21^st overall (0.010), according to PFF.

But the Bolts know what Kansas City is all about.

The Chiefs currently rank 11^th with 55 total pressures as All-Pro defensive lineman Chris Jones leads the way.

Jones has a sack and a forced fumble through three games, but PFF also has him with the fourth-most pressures among interior defensive linemen.

Roman said the Bolts will be wary of Jones, especially with his ability to line up anywhere along the line of scrimmage.

Add in the unpredictability of Chiefs Defensive Coordinator Steve Spagnuolo and the Chargers know anything could unfold on Sunday.

"Steve Spagnolo has a vast array," Harbaugh said. "There are coordinators who call things off the call sheet and I think he does some of that.

"But I also think it's all right there in his head," Harbaugh added. "The way he calculates, it's very impressive."

Roman added: ""He puts pressure on everything. He does a great job of mixing things up. It's definitely a wheel of fortune, he's going to mix things up really well throughout the game and bring all different types of pressures. There's a lot of multiplicity there and he could play as simple as he wants, too."