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Around the AFC West: Rivals tumble while Chiefs clinch top seed

By Ellen Mathis

KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 27: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball after a catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images)
KANSAS CITY, MISSOURI - DECEMBER 27: Travis Kelce #87 of the Kansas City Chiefs carries the ball after a catch against the Atlanta Falcons during the fourth quarter at Arrowhead Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Kansas City, Missouri. (Photo by Jamie Squire/Getty Images) /
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INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 27: Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers makes a play call from the back field in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images)
INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – DECEMBER 27: Justin Herbert #10 of the Los Angeles Chargers makes a play call from the back field in the first quarter against the Denver Broncos at SoFi Stadium on December 27, 2020 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Joe Scarnici/Getty Images) /

Los Angeles Chargers

The Los Angeles Chargers continue to be a puzzling team. I do not understand them. They have a ton of talent yet they just can’t seem to use it correctly.

The Chargers hosted the Broncos in Week 16, who are basically a bunch of John Does taken off the street to fill injury needs at this point, quarterbacked by a bad dancer who flings the ball around in terror and prays it lands in the right place. The Chargers have an emerging star quarterback, good receivers, an effective run game, and a good defense. They should lay the hammer down on teams.

But of course, the Bolts couldn’t do that. This week they allowed the Broncos to sneak back in the fourth quarter and tie the game, leaving the win to their special teams units. Let’s all remember this is the same special teams that could not figure out how many people could be on the field at one time. Remarkably, Michael Badgley was actually able to make a final field goal and the Bolts squeaked by with a win. Justin Herbert also found his way into the record books.

Impressive, given that Herbert did not play the full season.

The Chargers have some questions to answer as they head into week 17. Namely, do they relieve Anthony Lynn of his head coaching duties? I anticipate the answer to that is yes. Lynn has been poor and appears to be the cause of a number of the poor outcomes this year. If the Chargers want to be competitive in the AFC West, they will need to make a change. There are plenty of good candidates who can effectively utilize Justin Herbert and turn him into even more of a star. That’s what the Chargers need to do.

Next week, the Chargers finish the season in Arrowhead. The Chiefs will likely be resting most of their important stars while the Chargers will be playing for…pride? This game does not matter to either team towards playoffs, but the Chiefs will want to continue their dominance while the Chargers won’t want to be embarrassed by a B-Team. I see this being an interesting game that will likely produce some fun highlights (and quite a few lowlights).

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

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