The Chargers have a chance to stay undefeated in the AFC West and essentially knock Kansas City out of the AFC playoff picture.
Here’s what Los Angeles must do on defense to win.
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Earn people coverage
The Chiefs have struggled with coverage issues all season due to a lack of top players, and the Chargers have posted two of their highest coverage rates in the last two games. Cornerback Cam Hart, in particular, excelled in these games and made big plays against Raiders tight end Brock Bowers and Eagles wide receiver AJ Brown. Where Hart goes – Rashe Rice or Travis Kelce seem the most likely – could determine the direction of Sunday’s game.
Things run by the center
Kansas City has struggled to run the ball this season, but has still been relatively efficient running the ball under center. However, the Chiefs have shown that they are more than willing to give up if the running game isn’t working early, which is part of the reason why Patrick Mahomes has been the team’s leading rusher four times this season. If the Chargers can go all out in the first 20 minutes of the game, then they can decide who will play for both teams in the final 40 minutes.
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Enjoy the feast of substitute tackles
With Josh Simmons on reserve due to injury and Jawaan Taylor and Wanya Morris unlikely to play, Kansas City could turn to left tackle Esa Pole and right tackle Jaylon Moore on Sunday. Bol, the undrafted rookie out of Washington State, had a strong performance against Texas edge rusher Danielle Hunter last week. The Chargers have three pass rushers — Khalil Mack, Tuli Tupulotu and Odafi Owe — but they all play well enough that they can force Mahomes to rush the pass rush or add to the 29 sacks he already has this season (second-most in his career).
Continue to receive good security
Chargers safety Elijah Molden will likely miss Sunday’s game with a hamstring injury, which will force rookie RJ Mickens and veteran Tony Jefferson to take more action, while Devin James Jr. will likely play a more true safety role. However, James is typically deployed as the man against Kelce, so Mickens and Jefferson could be hurt a lot. Both have thrived in smaller roles in recent weeks — Jefferson has two interceptions in the past two weeks, doubling his career total this season, while Mickens has taken better angles in the run game after a tough game against the Dolphins in Week 6.
This article was originally published in Lightning Connection: Chargers’ defensive key to victory over Chiefs
