Around the AFC West, Week 11: Chiefs still can’t shake Chargers in close race

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers are coming off a questionable win against the Oakland Raiders. The Chargers have now won six games in a row and have become, once again, the darlings of the national sports media. However, this game was definitely far from perfect.

First, the Chargers were playing against one of, if not the league’s worst team in the Raiders. The problems for the Raiders are so numerous I won’t even take the time to list them. Philip Rivers took nearly 20 minutes to complete his first pass. The Chargers were completely fooled on a fake punt. The offense put up a season-low total for yards. However, despite these problems, Melvin Gordon proved once again that he is a force to be reckoned with. He put up 165 rushing yards and led the Chargers to a 20-6 win.

The Chargers, however, continue to be plagued by injuries. Linebacker Denzel Perryman left the game with a knee injury on the opening drive of the game. Reports after the game came out that he suffered an injury to his LCL and will need hamstring surgery as well. This means he is out for the season. This hurts the Chargers in their hopes to remain solid wild card contender and compete for the top spot in the AFC West.

Next week, the Chargers host the struggling Broncos. The Chargers must win this game. If they don’t, they will have dropped two games in the division and will fall in the race for the AFC West. National sports media continues to rave about the Chargers, but they still have only beaten one team with a winning record. Their schedule does not get easier as they have tough games coming up against the Steelers in Pittsburgh and the Chiefs at Arrowhead.

If the Chargers want to remain in the running for the number one seed in the AFC, they will need to win this game. Game time is 3:05 p.m.