The San Diego Chargers probably wish they could have skipped the offseason altogether.
The reigning AFC West champion Chargers hit the road for a Monday night matchup against the division rival Kansas City Chiefs in their season opener.
Winners of 11 straight games to finish the regular season a year ago, San Diego remains one of the league's biggest curiosity factors with two of its star players holding out.
With receiver Vincent Jackson and left tackle Marcus McNeill - both Pro Bowlers - in the lineup, the Chargers figured to be a leading contender for the Super Bowl despite ending last season with an upset loss to the New York Jets in the AFC Divisional round in January.
Without them, it will be interesting to see how San Diego transitions from its pass-first offense of last season that saw quarterback Philip Rivers throw for a career-high 4,252 yards to go with 28 touchdowns and just nine interceptions.
McNeill was the anchor of a line that allowed just 25 sacks while the 6-foot-5 Jackson had a career-high 68 receptions for 1,167 yards and nine touchdowns.
Despite the loss of perennial All-Pro running back LaDainian Tomlinson, the Chargers will probably transition to more of a running team.
San Diego traded up 12 spots in April's draft to snatch running back Ryan Mathews with the No. 12 overall pick. Mathews averaged 6.5 yards a carry and scored 18 touchdowns in his final season at Fresno State.
Of course, the Chargers will not abandon the pass entirely as long as Pro Bowl tight end Antonio Gates is around. Gates hauled in 79 passes for a career-best 1,157 yards last season.
Malcom Floyd will inherit the No. 1 receiver slot following a season in which he had 47 receptions and averaged 17.2 yards per catch.
Linebacker Shawne Merriman is not expected to play Monday as he continues to deal with a sore Achilles that caused him to miss most of the preseason and affected him much of last season.
In their second season under coach Todd Haley, the Chiefs will be looking to make strides from a 4-12 mark of last season.
Kansas City struggled on both sides of the ball last season, one reason Haley brought in new offensive and defensive coordinators in Charlie Weis and Romeo Crennel, respectively.
Quarterback Matt Cassel regressed last season, throwing for 16 touchdowns and 16 interceptions while failing to reach 3,000 yards passing.
The running game was also non-existent until Jamaal Charles took over in Week 10. He finished with 1,120 yards, including four straight 100-yard games to end the season.
Thomas Jones, who rushed for 1,402 yards and 14 touchdowns with the New York Jets last season, was signed in the offseason.
San Diego has beaten the Chiefs five straight times, including the last three meetings at Arrowhead Stadium.