Chargers at Chiefs:
The Boom or Bust Game
It is highly likely that the winner of the game tonight between our Kansas City Chiefs and the Los Angeles Chargers at Arrowhead Stadium will determine who wins the AFC West this year. One of those outcomes will propel the Chiefs down a much different path.
If the Chiefs Lose Tonight…
If Kansas City loses tonight and then lose the AFC West in the process, they’ll jump into re-building mode. The word “Re-build” is thrown around a lot. I’m of the opinion that every team is “building” every year. In fact, you could say that what Bill Belichick has been doing in New England every year falls more under the category of re-building than it does of just building. So, if the Chiefs have to flip the switch and go to “Build-a-Bear” mode then you can expect extensive changes at DC, QB, ILB, OLB, DL, DB, RB, TE and OL. In other words, just about the whole team.
DC- Bob Sutton’s job is probably on the line if they lose to the Chargers and then dont make the playoffs.
QB- Alex Smith should probably ask his wife to begin packing boxes if they don’t win tonight. If the Chiefs lose tonight AND next weekend, Patrick Mahomes NFL career may begin early, in the last game vs the Broncos.
ILB- I’ve thought that if the Chiefs make it to the Super Bowl this year, or maybe even the Conference Championship game, no matter what the outcome is… that Derrick Johnson would retire. If they dont make the playoffs this year, he might also be released in which case he’d likely retire anyway. The team needs more help at ILB even though Kevin Pierre-Lewis has look very good at times recently and Reggie Ragland has been coming on strong.
OLB- Unless Justin Houston becomes far more productive during the next three games, I can see him having his contract restructured — because he’s not shown that he’s been worth the one they game gave him — and Dee Ford will probably be gone. Another OLB, one of Tamba Hali’s caliber during his heyday, will need to be pursued for the Chiefs pass rush to become relevant again.
DB- This game against the Chargers WRs — and the arm of Philip Rivers — will tell us a lot about just how skillful and coordinated Bob Sutton’s defensive backfield has become.
RB- it may not matter that the Chiefs lose this game or not when it comes to re-stocking the RB position. Many fans are expecting Spencer Ware to return net season but I wouldn’t count on that. Ware’s knee injuries included both and ACL AND a MCL which traditionally takes much longer to rehab from. So, I won’t be surprised at all to see the Chiefs draft another mid-round RB wunderkind.
TE- Travis Kelce is going nowhere. However, the same can not be said for Demetrius Harris or anyone else backing up Kelce. Harris is the reason that the Manic-Depressive designation exists in Psychology .
OL- It was Parker Ehinger last year and now Mitch Morse this year: the Chiefs OL depth has been an on-going issue. Beyond that issue is the reality that the OL has not been very consistent and has been a real challenge for the Chiefs QB to operate behind. Merely changing QBs may not fix this problem either.
If the Chiefs Win Tonight…
With a win tonight, the Kansas City Chiefs will likely stay the course. So, not DC firing, no end to DJ’s career (unless he decides his body has had enough), and he possibility that Alex Smith will remain as the Chiefs QB in 2018.
Numbers that May Matter
It appears that the Chiefs have the Chargers number. With 7 straight wins over the Chargers, it looks like Andy Reid knows how to game plan for the Chargers and it looks like the Chiefs have made a habit of handling their business every time they meet… at least for the past 4 seasons.
2-6 vs. 7-2. Those are the two records of these teams with the Chiefs recent record not looking very good. Momentum is an important element in the NFL. The difference appears to be that the Chargers have beaten the bad teams they’ve played during the heart of the season while the Chiefs have lost to those bad teams. So, while I’m unimpressed with the teams the Chargers have beaten in the last month… at least they’ve won those games while the Chiefs have not.
I’ve heard it said that this may be the biggest game of Andy Reid’s Chiefs career… in the regular season. Whether that’s true or not, it does highlight the importance of this game and I’m sure that will not be lost on the Chiefs or their fans in Arrowhead tonight. Chris Jones said it best after last week’s win: “Every game from here on out is like a playoff game.” I couldn’t agree more. Consequently, I’m picking the Chiefs in a close one. However, I must admit, that if this game was in L.A. I’d be going with the Chargers.
Alrighty, what’s your prediction?
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