Not only are the stakes high but the altitude itself will affect the Kansas City Chiefs game against the Los Angeles Chargers in ways you might not expect.
The Kansas City Chiefs will spar with the Los Angeles Chargers on Monday Night Football in a game that will have huge implications in the AFC West playoff race. We all know the stakes are high for both teams, particularly the Chargers. One element that will certainly affect the game is the altitude.
Estadio Azteca sits at 7,200 feet above sea level. An iconic stadium in the game of soccer, Azteca will now host its third NFL game (and the first ever not to feature the Oakland Raiders). The Chiefs have never played a game at this elevation before. To put in perspective, Mile High Stadium in Denver is 5,280 feet above sea level; Azteca is 36% higher than that.
Both teams, of course, have experience playing at Mile High, so that will serve as an advantage to neither team. It remains to be seen how playing styles will be affected.
The game will pivot somewhere in the middle of the second quarter. That’s when the flow of the game has become established and fatigue begins. Altitude begins to take hold here. We will see which approach was best at this point, considering the Chiefs stayed true to their typical preparatory regimen while the Chargers practiced all week in Colorado.
One area on which to keep close watch will be the Chargers’ battered offensive line (only one of their original five starters will suit up tonight) against Kansas City’s premier pass rushers Frank Clark and Chris Jones, as well as the rest of the Chiefs’ defensive line. Like other teams who have played the Chiefs, the Chargers may discover that running the ball is their most effective way to move the chains. Kansas City will need to keep Los Angeles in 2nd-and-long situations to get off the field.
Somewhat counterintuitively, the fittest players will be most affected by the altitude. Keep a close eye on how the elements affect Chiefs wide receiver Tyreek Hill, who has displayed world-class stamina in his young career. That will make for an intriguing combination with Kansas City signal caller Patrick Mahomes, who is well known for throwing footballs long distances. Head coach Andy Reid likes to put his toys on display, and, given the opportunity, he may be tempted to let Mahomes uncork one about 80 yards in the rarified air of Mexico City.
As for the Chargers quarterback, Philip Rivers has played quite a few games in high elevation. He is an ambiguous 7-6 in his career at Mile High Stadium, in case you’re wondering.
The elevation is just one more element in play in a game that’s become very important to the Chiefs over the last few weeks. It also makes a primetime matchup all the more intriguing.