Chiefs, Chargers continue to charge ahead in competitive AFC West
By Ellen Mathis
Let’s take a look around the AFC West as the Chiefs remain on top, the Chargers keep pace, the Broncos redeem themselves, and the Raiders fall.
Welcome back to another look around the AFC West.
As we head into Week 8, the Kansas City Chiefs are coming off a prime time blowout of the Cincinnati Bengals. As the Chiefs look to remain in control of the AFC West and the AFC as a whole, let’s take a look at how the rest of the AFC West is doing.
Los Angeles Chargers
The Los Angeles Chargers flew all the way to London to take on the Tennessee Titans bright and early on Sunday morning. The game, held at Wembley Stadium, did not feature the Chargers’ star running back, Melvin Gordon. A hamstring injury kept him sidelined as the Chargers looked to advance to 5-2 to keep pace with the Chiefs.
While the majority of the game was unremarkable, this game came down to the wire. With five minutes left on the clock and down 7 points, the Titans drove 89 yards and capped the drive off with a 1-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Marcus Mariota to tight end Luke Stocker. This put the Titans down one point. Shockingly, head coach Mike Vrabel decided to go for the win rather than the tie.
On the 2 point conversion attempt, Mariota threw a pass incomplete to Tajae Sharp. However, the Titans got a second chance due to a defensive holding call. On the second attempt, the pass fell incomplete after being tipped by Adrian Phillips. This ended the game, 20-19, and handed the Chargers their fourth consecutive win. Many are questioning the decision to go for two. I for one, wish they had just kicked the extra point and headed to overtime, but hindsight is 20/20.
The Chargers left the game largely unscathed. No notable injuries were recorded, and that bodes well for the team. This week they have a bye and look at the return of several important members of their team including Melvin Gordon and Joey Bosa. Watch out as this team rests up and heals up because although the Chargers are not beating great teams yet, they are getting healthier where it counts. A look ahead at the Chiefs-Chargers Thursday night game in December makes me think that game will be very important.