Can Chargers Spoil Season For Chiefs?
By Dave Thomas
When you're sitting with a record of 3-9, there is not much direction to go but up. When you are the San Diego Chargers after 12 games of the 2015 season, upwards is about all you can do at this point.
Losers of seven of their last eight games, the Bolts head to Kansas City this Sunday for a date with the AFC West rival Chiefs. While San Diego has been falling fast, Kansas City (7-5) has run-off six straight wins, giving the Chiefs a hold on one of the two AFC wild card spots.
So, what can San Diego look to accomplish other than not embarrass itself as it did just two weeks ago when the teams met in Southern California? In that ugly affair, Kansas City did whatever they wanted whenever they wanted, rolling to a 33-3 victory. The win allowed the Chiefs to even-up the all-time series at 55-55-1.
Kansas City Keeps Rolling Along
After getting off to a horrid 1-5 start, the Chiefs did a 180 an saved their season. What makes the run these last six games even more impressive is that Kansas City is winning without its best player, starting running back Jamaal Charles. Sidelined for the remainder of the season with a knee injury, Charles had rushed for 364 yards and four TD's before going down in early October. In Charles' place, running backs Charcandrick West (408 yards, three touchdowns) and Spencer Ware (260 yards, five touchdowns) have certainly carried the load.
Kansas City's offense has also received big-time contributions from the man under center again this season, starting quarterback Alex Smith. Heading into game 13 of the season, Smith has thrown for 2,843 yards and 14 touchdowns, along with rushing for 326 yards and a pair of scores.
On the defensive side of the ball, San Diego (two field goals for six points in its last two home games) will have to deal with the likes of linebacker Derrick Johnson (82 total tackles), corner Marcus Peters (five INTs) and linebacker Justin Houston (7.5 sacks).
Questions Abound For Chargers
In its 17-3 home loss to Denver last Sunday, San Diego's offense again was meager at best, finishing the day with a mere 93 yards net rushing. If the Chargers are unable to run the ball against the Chiefs the second time around (only rushed for 52 in the first loss to Kansas City), expect a long day for the visitors.
As the season winds down for San Diego, it has much hanging over its collective heads, notably, will Dec. 20 be the final home game in San Diego for the foreseeable future? While nothing is set in stone about the Bolts possibly relocating to the Los Angeles area for next season and beyond, there are no guarantees they will not leave San Diego after this season concludes. With their future uncertain and a bad product on the field in 2015, the Bolts can only hope the final four games of the season are not for the most part like the last eight.
Dave Thomas has been covering the sports world since his first job as a sports editor for a weekly newspaper in Pennsylvania back in 1989. He has covered a Super Bowl, college bowl games, MLB, NBA and more. His work can be found on Examiner.com.