Saturday, September 24, 2011

Chiefs vs. Chargers: Turning Point?



Tomorrow marks the first of two times the Chiefs will face the Chargers this season. This game also marks what could be the turnaround to an abysmal season thus far.

I'm sure everyone already knows that the Chiefs have been outscored 89-10 in their first two games. It took the Chiefs till week 7 of last season to give up that many points on defense (and the Chiefs scored more than their total this year in week 1 of last season).

The Chargers have been a difficult matchup for the Chiefs since Philip Rivers has been there, and it hurts that our two of our most valuable offensive players against the Chargers (Jamaal Charles and Tony Moeaki performed well against the Chargers last year) are out for the season.

Last year, the Chiefs split the matchup 1-1, but those two games are tales of very different results. The Chiefs squeaked by in week 1 on Monday Night Football helped in part by a dominating defensive and special teams performance (also the rain). Week 14 was much different, having the Chiefs get blown out 31-0 with a habitual loser (Brodie Croyle) as quarterback.

Before the season started, many contemplated (including myself) that the Chiefs were a team on the rise and the Chargers were a team on the down-slope. While only one game separates these two teams in the standings, a lot separates these two teams' performance on the field. But if the Chiefs want to prove everyone wrong, if Todd Haley wants to silence the critics, if the team wants to collectively gather their pride and win a game, then it all starts here.

Game Notes:

Philip Rivers: 62/88 713 yards, 4 TDs 4 INTs                        
Matt Cassel: 37/58 252 yards, 1 TD 4 INTS

Ryan Mathews: 24 carries, 109 yards, 1 TD
Dexter McCluster: 12 carries, 93 yards

Vincent Jackson: 12 receptions, 203 yards, 2 TD
Dwayne Bowe: 7 recpetions, 118 yards

SD Total Offense: #3 in NFL, 438.5 yrds/gm
KC Total Offense: #30 in NFL, 240 yrds/gm

SD Total Defense: #17 in NFL, 345.5 yrds/gm
KC Total Defense: #24 in NFL, 387.5 yrds/gm

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