Chargers vs. Chiefs: Matchup analysis
By David Thomas
Philip Rivers vs. Chiefs Pass Defense
Philip Rivers very well could be his own undoing. Since week 10 Rivers has thrown 12 interceptions in six games. After three straight seasons with a 66%+ completion percentage Rivers has four straight games below 60% completion percentage.
Against Rivers is the team tied 3rd in the NFL with 16 interceptions. Since Terrance Mitchell became a regular in the secondary the Chiefs have allowed an average of just 180.3 passing yards per game. The Chiefs will be battling for playoff positioning, and the Chargers simply playing for pride. If the Chargers don’t get the game going their way early it could continue to look ugly for Philip Rivers.
Joey Bosa vs. Chiefs Offensive Line
One of the more interesting matchups to watch this weekend will be Bosa’s first game against the Kansas City Chiefs. Bosa missed his first opportunity after dealing with a lengthy contract dispute. Against the rest of the AFC West Joey Bosa has gone for three sacks and 10 tackles in four games.
Over the last six games the Chiefs offensive line has allowed just nine sacks with five of them coming from the Week 12 Chiefs vs. Broncos game. On the season the Chiefs rank 16th in the NFL with a sack rate of 5.8%. Offensive tackles Eric Fisher and Mitchell Schwartz have played well in the second half of the season. The Chiefs inside linemen have given up a majority of the Chiefs accumulated sacks.
What will help the Chiefs the most against Bosa is the play design and gameplanning itself. Alex Smith is first in the NFL in getting the ball out (2.37 seconds per snap), and only Nick Foles (2.36 seconds) is faster when compared to any quarterback who has started a game.
Go Chiefs!