The Los Angeles Chargers enjoyed the perfect start to their 2025 campaign, as they pulled off an upset victory over the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 1. With the final score settling in at 27-21, the Chargers proved right off the bat that if the Chiefs intend on winning the AFC West division this season, they are going to have to earn every win they get.

During this game, there was a controversial incident involving Los Angeles defensive tackle Teair Tart and Kansas City tight end Travis Kelce, as Tart was seen slapping Kelce after the Chiefs superstar shoved him. Tart ended up drawing a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty, and it also sounds like his pockets may be getting bit later, thanks to this brief dust-up.

Teair Tart Gets Fined for Travis Kelce Incident

A big reason L.A. was able to take down Kansas City was that they dominated the line of scrimmage on defense. The Chargers were clogging the Chiefs’ running lanes all night long, while also consistently pressuring quarterback Patrick Mahomes and forcing him to get rid of the ball sooner than he would have liked to.

At the center of Los Angeles’ defensive line is Tart, who drew the start in this game after not logging a single start for the team in 2024. Tart made his impact felt in this game, as he racked up a solo tackle, while also deflecting a pair of Mahomes’ passes, adding to his long list of problems from this game.

Some fans were surprised to see Tart wasn’t ejected for slapping Kelce, but it seemed pretty clear that some sort of repercussions would be coming his way as a result of this incident. Sure enough, reports indicated that Tart did get fined for his confrontation with Kelce, with the exact amount of his fine set to be revealed on Saturday afternoon.

“The NFL fined Los Angeles Chargers defensive tackle Teair Tart for slapping Kansas City Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce in the Chargers’ 27-21 Week 1 win in Sao Paulo, Brazil, a source told ESPN,” Kris Rhim of ESPN reported. “According to NFL rules, the fine for a first offense of striking is $12,172. The NFL announces fines on Saturday afternoon.”

Teair Tart, Chargers Looking to Win Second Straight Game in Week 2

GettyTeair Tart has been fined for slapping Travis Kelce in the Chargers’ Week 1 win over the Chiefs

Chances are that not even a fine can take the wind out of Tart’s sails in the wake of this big victory with the Chargers. For the past few years, Los Angeles has continually come up short in its quest to prove that they can legitimately challenge Kansas City for the top seed in the AFC West. In Week 1 of the 2025 season at least, that has changed.

At the end of the day, though, this still only counts as one win, meaning L.A. still has a lot of work to do if they want to achieve their primary goal of emerging as a Super Bowl contender this season. The team will look to continue its winning ways when it returns to action on Monday Night Football against the Las Vegas Raiders, with kickoff for this clash being scheduled for 10 p.m. ET.