Around the AFC West: Chiefs clinch the division and more

Los Angeles Chargers

The Chargers had a surprisingly difficult matchup against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. The Falcons, with their interim head coach, have looked better. However, they are still hamstrung by an aging quarterback.

This is normally a game that the Chargers would have easily done something wrong to lose. I mean, last week, they couldn’t get the right number of people on the field for punts. This week, however, it came down to a field goal. At the end of the game, with everything tied up, it was on Michael Badgley to win the game. He hit a 43-yard field goal as time expired and gave the Chargers their fourth win of the season.

This game saw a great game-winning drive from Justin Herbert, someone that I truly believe is going to be a problem in years to come assuming he gets a new coach. That being said, I think we are about to see the final three games of Anthony Lynn‘s tenure as a head coach for the Chargers. It is clear that the coaching just isn’t there. Herbert will succeed with a new staff.

The Chargers had some notable injuries during the game. Mike Williams left during the first drive with a back injury and both Bryan Bulaga and Trai Turner had concussion issues. Keenan Allen didn’t play the final series because he landed awkwardly on the second-to-last drive. The Chargers injury report is long this week which does not bode will for a short week.

The Chargers face the Raiders on Thursday night in a divisional showdown. This is a must-win for the Raiders while the Chargers are now just trying to figure out where they will pick on draft day. However, division games are always fraught with deep-seeded anger and hatred so who knows? Maybe Herbert will pull out a miracle. Don’t bet on it.

Game time is Thursday at 7:20 p.m.