Mathews and Battle Will Share More Carries in San Diego, and Other AFC West News

When Ryan Mathews didn’t start last week against the Kansas City Chiefs, the presumption was that he was being sent a message that he needed to correct his ball-security issues. Jackie Battle started and played the majority of the snaps until the Chargers put the game away.

According to Ricky Henne of the team’s official website, the Chargers like how Mathews and Battle complement each other and the offensive plans for each game will include both running backs. Per the report, Mathews was not benched to send a message.

Battle may have earned himself the role of former Chargers tailback Mike Tolbert, which means a decreased workload for Mathews. Battle is also a former fullback, which makes him a better blocker and power runner.

The Chargers are taking one of their most dynamic playmakers off the field, but considering Mathews has been plagued by injuries throughout his short career, maybe that’s not a bad thing. It appears that Mathews will now have to earn his snaps in San Diego and his usage could vary greatly from week to week.

Other AFC West News:

San Diego

Michael Gehlken of the U-T San Diego says that the Chargers are supporting John Pagano during this difficult time for his family.

Kansas City

Fans in Kansas City are planning a protest this Sunday that includes flying a banner over the stadium. They’ve launched a website, saveourchiefs.com, that is currently linked to a Facebook page and a Twitter account @SaveOurChiefs (h/t helmet2helmet.net).

Adam Teicher of the Kansas City Star reports that the Chiefs will stick with Matt Cassel as the starter, but left the door open for Brady Quinn to play.

Denver

Jeff Legwold of The Denver Post says the Broncos are hoping to solve the Rob Gronkowski dilemma this Sunday.

Legwold also says Denver’s defensive scheme is a classic 4-3 defense with pass-rush versatility.

Oakland

According to Vic Tafur of the San Francisco Chronicle , Richard Seymour says that the Raiders are close to making plays on defense.

Tafur also runs down the long list of issues the team has headed into the bye week.