Chiefs vs. Chargers: Keenan Allen among matchup concerns in Week 2

Chiefs’ offensive line vs. Joey Bosa and company

Joey Bosa, Melvin Ingram III, Linval Joseph and Jerry Tillery, along with a linebacking corps most comfortable downhill, pose a serious threat to a Chiefs offensive line that looked excellent when run blocking on Thursday night, but was not as impressive at stopping the Texans pass rushers. They were okay, but some improvements could be made.

Kansas City, of course, did not give them a substantial amount of opportunities to pin their ears back and go after the star quarterback, however. Instead, the team ran the ball often and took short, quick passes to neutralize J.J. Watt, Whitney Mercilus and company.

The Chiefs are likely to see a stouter run defense with the Chargers, who boast an excellent linebacking corps with rookie first rounder Kenneth Murray, Nick Vigil and Uchenna Nwosu. Frankly, some of the team’s reserve linebackers could start in Kansas City. That will mean more passing plays and longer passing plays than the team attempted a week ago.

As a result, the offensive line holding up against a good pass rush will be imperative. Expect the Chiefs to employ backup tight end Nick Keizer, fullback Anthony Sherman, and perhaps second-string running back Darrell Williams a bit more in the Week 2 matchup in order to help with pass protection. It also would not be surprising if, in order to keep their sensational rookie, Edwards-Helaire on the field, they simply moved Mahomes out of the pocket more regularly, something we did not see much of against Houston.