Can Desperate Chargers Challenge Champs of Their Division?

I started the season thinking the Los Angeles Chargers would supplant our Kansas City Chiefs as the champs of the AFC West. That take looks pretty damn stale already, thanks in part to the Chargers' numerous injury concerns and growing pains. Justin Herbert and his crew still have Miami, Tennessee and the other L.A team on their schedule, so these 5-4 Chargers need to win tonight to maintain realistic playoff aspirations.

An inconsistent Chargers offense could get a boost (I'm avoiding electricity puns here on purpose) from two returning receivers who already have great chemistry with the team's struggling QB. According to Adam Schefter, both Keenan Allen and Mike Williams are expected to play tonight. That could be huge for Herbert, whose recent play has been undeniably disappointing. As NFL.com reported, Herbert has four straight games with a sub-90 Passer Rating and yards per attempt under six. A guy who I expected to be an MVP candidate this year now has a Passer Rating that ranks 17th among all QBs with more than one start this season, between the ratings of Andy Dalton and Jacoby Brissett. Conversely, Mahomes has dominated with his new troop of offensive weapons, and the other guys performing on his level can be counted on about half of one hand.

Honestly, the only QB consistently on Pat's level this year is, wait for it, Tua freakin' Tagavailoa. I guess Tua has a certain former Chief to thank for that, but that's a topic for another time.

The large cast of characters creating football's most unstoppable offense just grew larger with the Chiefs' acquisition and subsequent effective use of Kadarius Toney. Mahomes targeted Toney five times for four receptions and 57 yards against Jacksonville last week. Toney's impact should increase all-the-more this week because of Mecole Hardman's placement on the injured reserve list. Clearly, the timing of acquiring Toney and losing Mecole was impeccable. This should keep the NFL's #1 passing and scoring offense firing on all cylinders.

The Chiefs can and will end the Chargers' hopes at a playoff run tonight. The Chargers should put up a serious fight at home, especially considering the return of their receiving core. A desperate, motivated Justin Herbert could burn KC's imperfect secondary a few times, so I'm predicting a 34-31 shootout victory for Kansas City.

Will Herbert Wilt Under Wild Arrowhead Crowd?

Witnessing an elite team's adjustments after a disappointing defeat is an inherently intriguing moment in any sport. How will the Kansas City Chiefs react to letting the game slip away last week? KC returns to Arrowhead today to face a foe from within the division with a bright future and a potentially elite young quarterback.

The Los Angeles Chargers, despite my praise, also failed to win a very winnable game last week when they lost 20-17 to the Dallas Cowboys. Justin Herbert shows flashes of brilliance and has completed over 70% of his passes this season, but he's falling short of the production offered by Patrick Mahomes. Herbert has a Passer Rating of 86.1, an Adjusted QBR of 42.8 and a 7.7 yards-per-completion average. Mahomes has a Passer Rating 131.4, an Adjusted QBR of 78.6 and a 10.1 yards-per-completion average.

The promising Chargers QB has an array of worthy weapons at his disposal. A potent combo of Austin Ekeler, Mike Williams and Keenan Allen could give the Chiefs defense headaches, but again, the Chargers haven't yet put the pieces together to create a consistently successful offense. After facing the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Football Team, this Herbert-led offense averages 416 yards per game  which is fifth-highest in the NFL. Despite this success moving the ball, their average of 18.5 points scored per game is sixth-lowest.

The frightening truth for Chiefs Kingdom entering this game is that KC's defense keeps failing to perform at the same level as those in Dallas and D.C. The Chiefs defense allows the most yards per game of any team in the league and the fifth-most points so far this season. Their biggest failures have come in the redzone, where Chiefs opponents have scored eight touchdowns in eight appearances.

Today's face-off certainly seems like a good example of the old "something's gotta give" cliché. Will Herbert continue to stunt his own success with turnovers, or will KC's defense keep crumbling deep in their own territory? The results from this game will give us a little bit of both, I would guess. Look for the Chiefs to make a play or two on defense that will mostly make up for their aforementioned redzone struggles. I'm predicting an exciting, rivalry-growing 33-27 victory for the Chiefs as the Arrowhead crowd goes crazy.