Chiefs vs. Chargers: Complete Preview of Crucial AFC West Showdown

The San Diego Chargers have lost four of their last five games entering this AFC West matchup with the Kansas City Chiefs.

On the flip side, K.C. would be 0-7 if not for a 91-yard touchdown run courtesy of Jamaal Charles against the New Orleans Saints. San Diego is barely alive for the postseason, though, thanks to less than half of the teams in the AFC having a winning record.

As for the Chiefs, they're basically headed for the top pick in the 2013 NFL draft.

That said, Philip Rivers and Co. desperately need to get back on track in this Week 9 showdown. Kansas City's motive is to act as a spoiler.

Let's break down and preview this important divisional showdown and come up with a winner.

Chargers Offense vs. Chiefs Defense

Norv Turner's offense won't have any trouble moving the rock as the long as the Bolt's offense stays balanced.

Ryan Mathews totaled 82 total yards in the first contest and was able to find success between the tackles and as the occasional receiver. The Chiefs don't present any sort of consistent pass rush right now, which bodes well for Rivers' lack of reliable pocket protection.

The more San Diego can hit up the gut and get Mathews going, the greater odds of K.C. stacking the box and becoming vulnerable to play-action. After all, the Chiefs give up almost 350 total yards per game and allow nearly 30 points per game.

Brandon Flowers has been the most durable and reliable secondary player in Romeo Crennel's coverage, so running his way to set up the pass can work. K.C. is also weak against the intermediate game.

Anticipate a solid day from tight end Antonio Gates.

Unless the Chiefs' front seven bulldozes with a strong pass rush, the Bolts will rack up nice yards and points.

Chiefs Offense vs. Chargers Defense

Everything here for Kansas City comes down to two things.

1. Feeding Jamaal Charles early and often, and

2. Minimizing turnovers as much as possible.

Entering this game, the Chiefs are minus-18 in the turnover margin, which unsurprisingly ranks dead last in the NFL. In the first meeting at Arrowhead Stadium versus the Chargers, K.C. lost three of four fumbles.

Additionally, Matt Cassel tossed three interceptions.

Despite six turnovers, the Chiefs only lost 37-20.

Reduce the turnovers and San Diego may not win, because those resulted in K.C. losing the time of possession battle by nearly eight minutes.

Here, the Chiefs can definitely stay in the contest by ending each possession with a kick (punt, field goal or extra point). The Chargers are quite opportunistic with guys like Eric Weddle and Quentin Jammer in the secondary, so letting Charles do work is K.C.'s best option.

With that, however, San Diego will likely stack the box and force the Chiefs to become one-dimensional. Kansas City can call some quick screens, slants or pop-passes against a heavy front to counteract that.

Considering that the Bolts are susceptible to the pass—they allow almost 250 pass yards per game—the Chiefs will need to take some shots down field.

Special Teams

This is one area where the Chiefs have a slight competitive advantage.

According to Michael Gehlken of the San Diego Union-Tribune:

"

The end of Nate Kaeding's nine-year run in San Diego has arrived.

The Chargers kicker passed a team physical Tuesday morning and was released. He receives all of his $1.2 million termination pay and becomes an unrestricted free agent, able to sign with any team.

"

With that, Nick Novak becomes the Bolts' main kicker.

He has been quite reliable and consistent this season, going 7-of-8 on field goals and not missing a single extra point.

Still, K.C. has Ryan Succop, who nailed six kicks in the road victory over the Saints. He has a stronger leg, more experience (despite being younger) and has been more consistent.

The return is virtually even with Javier Arenas having made a stronger impact on punt returns, while Richard Goodman for San Diego averages over 27 yards per kickoff return. And although Dexter McCluster has not attempted a return yet this season, his potential capabilities on special teams can never go overlooked.

Coaching

So, Romeo Crennel or Norv Turner?

At this point in the 2012 NFL season "neither" is a feasible option.

We saw the catastrophic breakdown of the Chargers against the Denver Broncos on the Monday night, and it carried over through the bye and into the Week 8 loss at the Cleveland Browns.

Crennel, on the flip side, has just one winning season (2007) as a head coach, not counting his interim stint in 2011. Unfortunately, the Chiefs have been getting steamrolled this season, and Crennel's defense has not lived up to last season's standards.

Neither team possesses a distinct edge here at coaching, because Turner has not seen the postseason since 2010.

And that was largely with Marty Schottenheimer's team.

The explosiveness to Turner's offense has lacked as of recent, so the real matchup of this game will be K.C.'s offense against San Diego's defense.

In short, that's where the Chargers possess a minute advantage.

Final Prediction

The immediate direction of each team's future is one area at stake in this game.

Kansas City, at least, is fortunate to be in the spoiler role and is on pace for a high draft pick next spring.

San Diego is simply disappointing once again but has some winnable games hereafter to remain in the playoff picture. Each offense continues to be a in funk which only bodes well for the defenses.

When trying to find a rhythm, the best solution is to run the ball and play a more traditional approach. There won't be many turnovers here, although big plays will come at a premium as well. San Diego is better against the run, possesses a more reliable receiving corps and a better quarterback.

Kansas City fields a stronger rushing offense and is capable of applying much more quarterback pressure at a higher rate. The difference will come from the efficiency off the play-action pass.

Each will run the ball well, and although Philip Rivers can be turnover-prone, he isn't as turnover-prone as Matt Cassel.

Prediction: Chargers 27, Chiefs 17

Follow John Rozum on Twitter.