Chargers, Chiefs head in different directions

CHIEFS and the Los Angeles Chargers face-off in the NFL Saturday night game with their season hanging in the balance.

However, there have been just two more losses this season for the Chargers.

Look for Joey Bosa and Melvin Ingram to cause endless problems for the Chiefs. However, the win is just Kansas City’s second since starting the season with five straight wins. They’re now tied with the Chiefs with a 7-6 record, but sitting behind Kansas City in the standings due to the head-to-head tiebreaker.

That dream is only possible thanks to Kansas City’s recent spiral, in which they followed their 5-0 start by losing six of their next seven.

The Chargers have become accustomed to a whole bunch of new: coaches, playbooks, even their home after moving from San Diego. Reid might have righted the ship in last weekend’s 26-15 victory over the Raiders – with his team rushing for 165 yards, its highest mark since Week 4.

“They look like the same team to me”, he said. Quarterback Philip Rivers has gotten hot and the defense has produced turnovers with a vengeance of late. What I can not get away from is the number of times I have seen the Chiefs secondary exposed to the point of embarrassment over the last 12 months.

On Saturday, his primary concern will be to make sure Hill doesn’t flash those fingers at him.

Beating the Chargers and winning the west would mean playoff appearances in four of the team’s last five years. It’s nice to run the ball effectively, but we lost. Luckily for Kansas City, they can still win the division.

In winning their last four games, the Chargers have been dominant in all four contests for the most part. “But I thought we overcame that”.

THE QUOTE: “It’s nice to score points, but when you don’t win, it doesn’t matter. We didn’t get it done”.

Averaging 18.6 points per game prior to the streak, the Chargers have ripped off 32.8 per game while powering their way into the thick of the AFC West race.

SERIES HISTORY: 115th regular-series meeting. Andy Studebaker recovered for the Chiefs, and kicker Ryan Succop won it in overtime, making for a memorable Monday night. In fact, it’s interesting that the Chargers play in a stadium called the StubHub Center, because it will nearly take a ticket bought on StubHub to attend this AFC West Show down. Before departing for Missouri, the Chargers noted their injury report, a report that does not find any major red flags on it other than one possible loss in the secondary.

And when the Chargers do hound the quarterback, they’re adept at forcing turnovers. The Chargers can trust Gordon as he hasn’t fumbled this at all this season.

THE QUOTE: “I told the team that it was bad football. but we have a game to play next week, and we have to pull together and stay together and not point fingers”. That is the most in every category, in his career, against a team. They dropped games to the New York Giants and New York Jets in there. While Travis Benjamin, another deep-running speedster, is also getting targets, and catching them.

The Chargers steamrolled the Washington Redskins 30-13 last week for their fourth straight win. Like almost everyone else this late in the season, Barksdale is ailing with a bum toe that constantly barks. Tight End Antonio Gates didn’t practice Wednesday, but it was probably just a rest day for an older guy. DE Isaac Rochell has been elevated from the practice squad.