Chiefs vs. Chargers: Complete Week 7 Preview for Kansas City
The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a bye week and are looking to rebound to the .500 mark. Kansas City has had an up-and-down 2014 season so far, starting 0-2, reaching .500 and falling short to the 49ers nearly two weeks ago.
Going into Week 7, the Chiefs are preparing for the San Diego Chargers in their second divisional matchup of the year.
Kansas City knew it had a challenging schedule early on. The team has an easier group of opponents coming up, but the Chiefs must first get through the Chargers and avoid a two-game losing streak.
Week 5 Recap
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The Chiefs fired on all cylinders early in Week 5, scoring first and giving the 49ers a hard time. After finishing the first quarter dominating the time of possession with 10 minutes and 59 seconds, the Chiefs fell apart and finished with only 23 minutes and 56 seconds.
The Chiefs saw a little bit of promise from rookie De’Anthony Thomas, who scored on his first career catch. Travis Kelce also got in the end zone for the third time this year.
But those little victories never translated into anything big. The mishaps in all three facets of the game prevented the Chiefs from winning.
Kansas City’s sole turnover came on the final drive when Alex Smith threw an interception to conclude the game.
The day following the loss, Chiefs coach Andy Reid said he regretted not getting the football more to running back Jamaal Charles, who had a 5.3 yard per carry average but a quiet second half.
News and Notes
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Jamaal Charles to become top franchise rusher
In Kansas City’s last game, Charles passed Larry Johnson for the second-most rushing yards in franchise history. This week, Charles has a good chance of passing another former running back in Priest Holmes. Charles needs only 53 yards to surpass him, which will make him the all-time leading rusher in franchise history.
Chiefs part ways with Nico Johnson
ESPN.com’s Adam Teicher reported that the Cincinnati Bengals signed inside linebacker Nico Johnson on Wednesday, concluding his time in Kansas City.
When Johnson was drafted in the fourth round of the 2013 NFL draft, Chiefs fans thought the team came up with a steal. Johnson won three national championships in college while prepping at Alabama.
However, his playing days as a Chief were limited to very few snaps. Even with the losses of Derrick Johnson and Joe Mays this season, the Chiefs still went with Josh Mauga and James-Michael Johnson while keeping Nico Johnson on the practice squad.
Injury Report
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| Avery, Donnie | WR | Groin | Out | Out | Out | Out |
| Berry, Eric | S | Ankle | LP | DNP | - | - |
| Gaines, Phillip | CB | Concussion | FP | FP | - | - |
| Gray, Cyrus | RB | Hand | DNP | DNP | - | - |
| Owens, Chris | CB | Knee | DNP | DNP | - | - |
| Smith, Sean | CB | Groin | LP | FP | - | - |
Safety Eric Berry returned to practice Wednesday, but he did not participate Thursday. This week was Berry’s first time practicing, but given that he has been limited and did not practice Thursday, don’t expect him to play this week.
Meanwhile, the Chiefs find themselves thin at wide receiver as Donnie Avery is out with a groin injury. Junior Hemingway came through for the Chiefs with four catches for 50 yards. He is likely to start in Avery’s spot.
Injury report from KCChiefs.com
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Key Matchups and X-Factor
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WR Dwayne Bowe vs. CB Brandon Flowers
Seeing a former Chief go up against his old team is always intriguing and can be the most watched matchup. Brandon Flowers leads the Chargers in interceptions with two and will face a player he went up against plenty of times in practice.
Dwayne Bowe has had a quiet year and has not produced much since Reid took over. The Chiefs know what Flowers is capable of as a defender. With Bowe’s woes this year, Flowers looks to keep him quiet Sunday.
The Chargers have been on fire with their scoring, and the Chiefs might need to force a shootout in order to make it a contest. In order to do so, Bowe will need to step up to help Kansas City’s offense.
TE Travis Kelce vs. San Diego pass defense
Kelce has scored a touchdown in each of the last three games for the Chiefs, leading the team in receptions, yards and touchdowns through the air. He continues to produce by making defenders miss and using his speed to move the chains, subsequently bringing the team closer to the end zone.
If the Chargers let him get open, Smith will quickly get the ball in Kelce’s hands, which will give Kansas City a lot to smile about offensively.
OLBs Justin Houston vs. RT D.J. Fluker
Justin Houston led the league in sacks with six prior to Kansas City’s bye week. Houston has beaten offensive tackles and terrorized quarterbacks all season as he is on pace to reach double-digit sacks for the third consecutive year.
D.J. Fluker, who stands in Houston’s way this week, has had a solid season and will have his biggest challenge of the season this week.
If the Chiefs want to try and avoid a shootout, Houston and the rest of the pass-rushers will be the key as they need to apply pressure all game on Philip Rivers.
After completing a career-best 69.5 percent of his passes in 2013, Rivers has completed 69.3 percent this season while throwing 15 touchdowns and just two interceptions.
X-Factor: Kansas City's running backs
Whether it is Charles, Knile Davis or Thomas, the Chiefs have three different running backs who can do damage on offense as Davis and Thomas can also come through on special teams.
Reid has realized twice this year that he made a crucial error in not feeding the running backs as much. He cannot afford to make the same mistake in a divisional game against a Chargers team that has a high-powered offense.
Look for the running backs to be heavily involved in Kansas City’s offense.
Prediction
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Rivers has played at a higher level since Chargers coach Mike McCoy took the position at San Diego. Rivers currently leads the NFL with a 117.6 passer rating and is a strong candidate to take the league's most valuable player honor.
In addition to Rivers playing well, rookie running back Branden Oliver has lit it up the past two weeks, rushing for 100 yards and scoring a touchdown in each of the last two games.
With the losses of Mays and Derrick Johnson inside, Mauga and James-Michael Johnson have stepped up by making plays against the run.
In a tight matchup, Kansas City's defense should handle business and not allow the Chargers to get excessive with scoring.
As for the offense, the play-calling could be better. Opposing defenses know the Chiefs have talented players on offense, but Reid has shutdown his own running backs on multiple occasions. Coming off a bye, Reid has had plenty of time to reflect and should have a better idea of how to prevent his recent mistakes moving forward.
If the offense can stay in uniform, we should be in for a tight battle. But since Kansas City has only come up with takeaways in only one game this year, San Diego has the edge and could come away victorious.
Prediction: Chargers 27, Chiefs 24
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