Chargers Versus Chiefs Prediction and Breakdown Part 2
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The Los Angeles Chargers (8-5) will face off against the Kansas City Chiefs (9-4) on Thursday Night Football at SoFi Stadium at 5:20 p.m. local time. It will be on Fox, so Joe Buck (play-by-play), Troy Aikman (color), and Erin Andrews (sideline) are on the call.
The Chargers are coming off a 37-21 blowout win over the New York Giants. They handled their business and didn’t fall for a potential trap game. They didn’t have receiver Keenan Allen or safety Derwin James, but they got the victory.
They played well on both sides against New York. It seems like since flipping the calendar to December, the Chargers have put together two big performances against Cincinnati and New York. They are playing good football at the right time.
Kansas City is coming off two consecutive blowouts against the Broncos and Raiders. They have won six games in a row. Their offensive struggles raised question marks, but they have picked it up in the last few weeks.
One area that has gained a lot of traction is how the Chiefs are playing defense. In their win streak, they have held their last six opponents to 10.8 points per game. They held the Cowboys, Broncos, and Raiders to nine points each during the previous three games. Their defense is dangerous.
“They’re rushing the passer at a high level, putting pressure on the quarterback,” Chargers head coach Brandon Staley said. “Their linebacking crew, they have some young linebackers that I think are playing really well. Those guys are playing at a high level. They’re just playing team defense. The spike in their good play is just that they’re playing together in all three phases.”
Key matchup
The return of Melvin Ingram. The Chargers are going to start Trey Pipkins at left tackle because rookie Rashawn Slater is on the COVID list. Pipkins has been a healthy scratch four times this year. He will most likely face his former teammate, who will have some motivation on his side. It could be a long day for Pipkins.
Offensive player to watch
Mike Williams. Since 2018, Williams seems always to have big games against Kansas City. He caught seven passes for 122 yards and two touchdowns earlier in the year. The Chargers need to feature Williams the way they have at different times this season. When they feed 81, good things happen.
Defensive player to watch
Uchenna Nwosu. He had a big two-sack and one strip game against Cincinnati but was quiet against the Giants. Nwosu needs to step up this week because if he is wreaking havoc, it opens the door for Joey Bosa to get after Mahomes.
Key to the game
The Chargers must control the clock. The best way to beat Mahomes is by keeping him on the bench. The offense needs to be able to have long drives and score touchdowns. They found out week three that they can’t settle for field goals against a high scoring team like the Chiefs. Got to put up six and take care of the football.
Prediction
Chargers are -3 point underdogs. Both teams will be missing a key player, but the Chargers hurts more because of how good Slater has been this season. It is going to be a challenging game, but the Chiefs will be motivated, mainly because of the last time these guys faced off.
Chiefs 28 Chargers 23
