Kansas City Chiefs vs. San Diego Chargers: What Do Experts Think About Chargers?
The San Diego Chargers (5-1) were a slightly trendy pick to be upset by the Oakland Raiders in Week 6, and they have even fewer experts on their side in their Week 7 tilt with the Kansas City Chiefs (2-3).
Why is the league’s hottest team not trusted?
It mainly stems from the Chargers dancing through a light schedule, with games against the New York Jets and Jacksonville Jaguars doing little to cement their status as a Super Bowl contender.
Additionally, San Diego’s offense is banged up, and the line is playing poorly. Philip Rivers is great, but one-man teams are often exposed as the season goes along.
It’s not all on the Chargers, however—Kansas City has found its footing, winning two of its last three games, the only blemish being a five-point loss at San Francisco. Its imposing pass rush and explosive running game could give the Chargers fits.
These reasons and more have been primary arguments for the Chiefs upsetting the Chargers. Some experts are right on, while others have points that can be picked away at.
Let’s look at five notable expert analyses for Chiefs vs. Chargers and determine their biggest takeaways.
Eric D. Williams: Healthy Pass Rush Should Help San Diego
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Eric D. Williams, ESPN’s San Diego Chargers reporter, pointed out that the Chargers didn’t have a single sack in their narrow win against the Raiders after totaling 12 in their first five games.
Williams said San Diego’s lack of pressure was mainly due to the shallow depth at outside linebacker. Jerry Attaochu played 33 snaps Sunday after missing two weeks with a hamstring injury, and Cordarro Law was out with an ankle injury. The absence of Melvin Ingram didn’t help either.
With Attaochu and Law fully healthy for Week 7, Williams said the Chargers should be able to get more pressure on Alex Smith than they did on Derek Carr.
A deepened pass-rushing rotation never hurts, but Attaochu and Law are role players, not starters. Their presence will boost San Diego not because of their skills, but because of their ability to give 34-year-old Dwight Freeney a breather. Freeney has been carrying the Chargers pass rush, and he needs help—he hasn’t recorded a sack since Week 3.
Matt Verderame: The Chargers Are Unproven, Much Like the 2013 Chiefs
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Matt Verderame of SB Nation’s Arrowhead Pride said the Chargers could be this year’s version of the 2013 Chiefs, who got off to a hot start thanks a slew of underwhelming backup quarterbacks on their schedule.
He argues that the Chargers are good, not great, because they haven’t faced any team ranked higher than 20th in yards per game. And besides Russell Wilson, the passers they faced aren’t that threatening. The Chiefs could give them a wake-up call.
San Diego’s 5-1 record is absolutely helped by their opponents’ lack of offensive firepower. However, the Chiefs fit right into that narrative, ranking 21st in yards per game. And according to Terez A. Paylor of The Kansas City Star, No. 2 receiver Donnie Avery is out for Kansas City. A quiet offense gets quieter.
The Chargers will have to be prepared for more daunting attacks in the second half of the season, but they aren’t facing a juggernaut Sunday. The wake-up call will be later rather than sooner. For now, the Chiefs defense should be the Chargers’ main worry.
John Breech: Reid’s History Will Offset Chiefs’ Struggles at San Diego
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John Breech of CBSSports.com predicts the Chiefs to top the Chargers 30-27 due to Andy Reid’s record of 13-2 after a bye week. This is despite Kansas City’s recent failures in San Diego, losing the past six games at Qualcomm Stadium.
Reid’s dominance after byes is impressive, but his two post-bye losses have come in the last two seasons. The Chiefs having an extra week of rest will play a factor, especially against a San Diego team that could really use some time off of its own.
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Sports Xchange: Kansas City Needs This Game More
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Sports Xchange's Lindy's Sports column has the Chiefs winning by two at San Diego. This is because the game is a last-gasp attempt by Kansas City to keep up in the AFC West race, and the team has plenty of film with Derek Carr lighting up the Chargers defense, allowing it to see what plays are most effective.
The Chiefs’ extra motivation will be a huge factor, while the Chargers have little to worry about in terms of playoff hopes. We saw San Diego sleepwalk for three quarters against a Raiders team with virtually no postseason ambitions—against a more talented Chiefs team, the Chargers’ recent success might come back to haunt them.
Carr having success against the San Diego defense is a nice boost for the Chiefs but nothing extraordinary. Carr can be an explosive downfield passer, as he showed in the San Diego game, which is much different than what the accurate, conservative Alex Smith brings to the table.
Carr picked on the Chargers secondary, while Smith will likely focus on the area of the linebackers, where his tight ends and running backs will typically be.
OddsShark.com: Chargers’ Narrow 2013 Victory Bodes Well for Chiefs
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Sports betting site OddsShark.com wrote on Bleacher Report that the Chiefs should be the team to pick in this game. Its main argument is the Chargers just barely escaped the Chiefs in Week 17 of 2013, when San Diego needed the win to get into the playoffs while Kansas City had already clinched a berth. The Chiefs didn’t have much to play for and rested most of their starters, and they still put the game into overtime.
The main difference between 2013 and 2014, however, is the rosters—the Chiefs are enduring significantly more injuries than they did last season, and the Chargers have Malcom Floyd back and rookie Branden Oliver running well.
It’s a different season, but Odds Shark’s point is still effective in some ways. Divisional games are rarely blowouts, especially when there is a lot on the line. And for the Chiefs, there isn’t much more that could be at stake.
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