Chargers vs Chiefs Preview

The San Diego Chargers are in a ‘DO or DIE’ situation and they will need to step it up this week against the first place Kansas City Chiefs. The Chiefs will be playing this game without their starting quarterback Matt Cassel, who had to have an appendectomy on Wednesday. Brodie Croyle will take over the starting position for Cassel.Kansas City hopes to give the Chargers a heavy dose of Jamaal Charles and Thomas Jones in the running game. They hope to follow the same recipe that the Raiders cooked up last week when the Raiders gained over 200 yards on the ground attack and overpowered the Chargers defense. Their offense should consist of short quick passes from Croyle and a smart offensive game plan that will try and limit any possible mistakes.

The Chargers defense will need to step up and force Croyle to beat them. They will need to stack the line of scrimmage to stop the run and see if Croyle will be able to beat them through the air. Antonio Garay and the defensive line will need to fill all the gaps while the Shaun Phillips and the linebackers will need to make Croyle uncomfortable in the pocket.

The Chargers should have Vincent Jackson available to start the game. We will see if he is healthy enough to contribute more than the 2 plays he had in his season debut. He will be needed in the passing attack since the Chargers still have a slew of injuries at the skill positions. Legedu Naanee and Patrick Crayton will not be able to play in the game and Antonio Gates is a game time decision. Antoinio Gates has been slowed the majority of the season with 2 bad feet, but still remains a threat to opposing teams. More than likely we will see Gates in the game toughing it out.

Ryan Mathews is still healthy and Mike Tolbert and his injured hand was not on the injury report this week. Mathews should see more playing time than the ZERO plays that he had last week against the Raiders. The Chargers will need to show more dedication to the running game this week and try to keep the defense off balance.

The offensive line will need to protect Philip Rivers in the pocket. The Chiefs are at the top of the league in pressuring the quarterback and Marcus McNeill will have to limit Tamba Hali in his attack. The Chiefs have an excellent defense and the Chargers will have to find ways to beat the Romeo Crennel defensive scheme.

Look for a hard fought battle of 2 teams that are looking to make it into the playoffs. It will be a fight all the way to the end and we all hope to see the Blue and Gold smile at the end of the game with the VICTORY!

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