Chiefs vs. Chargers: 10 exciting things to watch for in a meaningless game
By Tyler Brown
7. Let the kids rush the passer
For all intents and purposes, this was a red-shirt year for both Felix Anudike-Uzomah and B.J. Thompson. They have both been put on the 53-man roster all year long, but have not been able to crack the depth chart much.
In Anudike-Uzomah’s case, he has played in every single game but has only logged 16 percent of the snaps on defense. In those snaps, it has been mixed results, racking up one sack and nine pressures in 108 pass rush snaps, according to PFF. That is a 12 percent pressure rate, which really is not that bad. Mike Danna for instance, has an 11 percent pressure rate on 464 snaps. Most people would surmise Danna has had a good season. It would be exciting to get to see the first-round talent get after the Chargers' offensive line.
The same can be said for Thompson, who was a fifth-round pick but has been inactive in every single game this season. Most analysts thought this was how the year would go for him, with his 243-pound frame. In college, he put up some nice stats and can get off the ball with the best of them with the speed rush being his go-to.
8. See if Leo Chenal can be an every-down player
Again, I am not letting Nick Bolton, Drue Tranquill or Willie Gay see the field on Sunday. I was close to putting Leo Chenal in that category because he is a contributor, but you have to play somebody. With that being said, Tranquill and Gay are both free agents next year and it would be nice to know exactly what you have in Chenal without being protected by certain defensive formations.
Chenal has clear deficiencies against the pass, but he does defend the run and rushes the passer fairly well. If Spags lets him loose on Sunday, he could be the star of the defense. It would be a good test to see him cover a guy like Austin Ekeler out of the backfield, too.
I would imagine the other two starters would be Jack Cochrane and Cam Jones. Both of them have been active every single game this season due to their special teams contributions.