Chiefs-Chargers On Sunday Matters, But Not Because Of The Math

The path to the postseason has already been laid out by a pair of my fellow staff writers. The Kansas City Chiefs are still in position to return to the playoffs if they take care of business down the stretch. We’ve seen what this team can do. They gave a road victory away to the San Francisco 49ers a week ago. They came within a drive of pushing a divisional matchup with the Denver Broncos to overtime. It’s clear this team, at its best, can play with anyone in the NFL, but for the second half of the season, I’m going to call that exactly what it is — irrelevant.

It doesn’t matter that this team has quickly evolved into one that can play competitive football with the league’s best teams. Believe it or not, we saw glimpses of that in 2013. Andy Reid and company fell twice to the Chargers by a total of just six points. In the December rematch, the Chiefs came within a touchdown of the AFC West-winning Broncos. There was also the playoff collapse to the Indianapolis Colts. They led by four scores in that game before succumbing to postseason pressure and inexperience. We’ve seen them trade with playoff teams before. Although, save the Monday nighter a few weeks back, we’ve rarely seen Kansas City come out on top in those games.

That, for my money, is why Sunday’s game is important. Sure, mathematically it gives the Chiefs a little breathing room. Falling two games below .500 with just ten to play is a recipe for disaster. Allow me put that into perspective for you: Since 1978, only 18 teams that started the year 2-4 later made the playoffs. A win changes everything. Three teams that started the season 3-3 qualified for the postseason tournament just last year. I won’t try and convince you that winning Sunday’s game isn’t important. Every regular season game matters, but they matter for more than mathematical reasons.

We know the Chiefs are probably going to need eight more wins to return to the playoffs. Whether they start that campaign this Sunday or the the one following, that’s the objective. Getting there means they’ll either have to go 8-3 in their last 11 games or 8-2 in their last 10 (that’s a negligible difference in my mind). Sunday’s game is significant for another reason though. If they do manage to claw their way back to the postseason as a wildcard, they’ll have to travel. Winning in Qualcomm on Sunday will give this football team some much needed experience at winning a high stakes game away from home.

Make no mistake, Sunday’s contest is not a playoff game, but it’s the closest they’ll come to it during the regular season. Sure, the Chiefs won on the road at Miami, but that football team is currently third in its division. Who knows if they’ll be a part of the AFC playoff picture come late-December (with Tannehill playing inconsistently and Moreno headed for IR)? They also routed the New England Patriots, but that game took place inside a raucous Arrowhead Stadium, on national television, and with a world record for crowd noise on the line. Those wins count, but they don’t give this team the exposure they’ll need under the postseason lights.

The month of January’s hardly an opportune time to learn how to win an important road game. The Chiefs tried that last year and for three quarters of their second matchup with the Colts, it looked like they’d figured it out on the spot at Lucas Oil Stadium. We all know how that ended. I’m sure no one at One Arrowhead Drive wants to relive an early exit from the postseason tournament. A good way to avoid a similar fate is to win a big game on the road in October.

If Kansas City can win in San Diego on Sunday, a world of possibilities open up for this football team. The Chargers may well be the best team in the AFC right now. That would help this young team build confidence going into the back two-thirds of its regular season schedule. There are at least three more road games where the Chiefs are unlikely to be favored (Pittsburgh, Arizona, and Buffalo). If they can beat the Bolts this weekend, they have every reason to think they can win the others.

What say you? Do you think the Chiefs can steal a game from the Chargers on Sunday? Is this a “must-win” game? Do you think the Chiefs will need ten wins to get back into the playoffs? I’m always anxious to see what my readers have to say. Use the comment section below to chime in. As always, we appreciate your readership and support.

Until next time, Addicts!