Around the AFC West: How the Chiefs rivals look after Week 1

Los Angeles Chargers

Who would have thought a team could out-Charger the Chargers, but it happened on Sunday. The story of this game was the debut of Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow, the number one overall draft pick. How would he handle his first NFL game, especially after such a strange offseason?

Burrow experienced some hiccups along the way but he put the team on his back late. Driving his team down with mere seconds left on the clock, Burrow put them in line for a game-tying 31-yard field goal. In an odd turn of events, the Bengals were the team to miss the late field goal, handing the Los Angeles Chargers their first win of the 2020 season.

Starting quarterback Tyrod Taylor of the Chargers was anything but remarkable. Given how much talent there is on the Chargers team, it never ceases to amaze me that they cannot seem to put it all together. Taylor was a pedestrian 16 of 30 for just over 200 yards and no one else really shined on offense.

What kept the Chargers competitive in this game was the play of the defensive line. Melvin Ingram and Joey Bosa harassed Joe Burrow all game and made it hard for him to find a rhythm. Beyond that, the Chargers demonstrated that they probably won’t be a contender for a playoff spot this year.

Over the years, I have learned there are only a few things in life that are certain: death, taxes, and the Chargers’ terrible luck with injuries. This weekend proved it again.

Chargers linebacker Drue Tranquill left the game with a gruesome (really want to make a “Drue-some” joke here) leg injury. Early reports say Tranquill broke his ankle. Based on my viewing, I’m not sure “broke” is the correct term for what happened.

The Chargers offensive line also looked different thanks to injuries to Mike Pouncey and Trai Turner. They will need to get healthy or have some players step up if they want to even think about being competitive.

Next week, the Chargers present the new SoFi Stadium to the world when they host the Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs are coming off a mini-bye and looked unstoppable last week against the Texans, a team I think is better than the Chargers.

If there is any hope in remaining competitive and not having this turn into a blowout, the Chargers will need to get lots of pressure on Patrick Mahomes and rely on their good secondary to cover the fastest wide receiver core in football. Wait, they also have to cover Travis Kelce. Yeah, this will be a problem for them.

Game time is 3:25 p.m. Sunday.